Cetra Destiny
by mknote
Summary: A warning from The Planet leads AVALANCHE on a mission that will change the course of humanity, while an old friend offers new hope to Vincent Valentine. The eighth and final story in Frank Verderosa's FFVII Internet Series.
1. The Warning

_Publisher's Disclaimer: Besides this and the note at the end of the last chapter, I, mknote, did not write a single word of this story. It was entirely written by Frank Verderosa. I hope you enjoy Cetra Destiny._

CHAPTER I

THE WARNING

_At first all she saw were stars. Innumerable pinpoints of light spotting the dark void of space. The stars had never seemed so bright to her, nor the emptiness between them so black. The lights moved, twisting around in a tilted spiral, disorienting her. Was it the stars that were moving or was she? _

_A curved line rose up out of the darkness. Her dizziness vanished as her eyes locked onto this fixed point. A wind blew in her face. She looked around and saw she was high on a mountaintop. Impossibly high. So high that she could see the curvature of the planet in the distance, and it seemed as if the whole world was laid out below her. _

_And everywhere she looked, she saw destruction. _

_Bombs burst in the air over Junon. Gunfire sounded in the streets of Wutai. Fires blazed uncontrolled in Kalm. Gongoga was nothing more than a blackened twisted mass of debris. Shouts could be heard as men fought hand to hand in Ifalnia. Everywhere she looked there was war. Even up here, even from her lofty perch she could hear the screams of the wounded, and shrieks of women and children, the crackling of the fire, and the moans of the dying. _

_Had the world gone mad? _

_"It has begun." _

_Aeris looked around. Who was that? Who had spoken? There was no one here, there was no one on the mountaintop with her. The place was barren. _

_"What has begun?" she shouted. _

_"The war," the voice replied. "The war to end all wars. That war that could mean the end of everything." _

_"What war?" Aeris shouted again. "What are you talking about. Who are you?" _

_She looked around helplessly. _

_"Where are you?" _

_The wind suddenly gusted up stronger, whipping her hair around her face. _

_"The first steps have been taken. Before long it will be too late. Too late to stop it. Too late to turn back. You have but a small time left. " _

_"A small time left for what?" _

_The sounds of battle seemed to be getting closer to her. The voice was becoming harder and harder to hear. _

_"There is not much time. Before long events will begin to move of their own accord. Much as the first few drops inevitably lead to the rainstorm. You must act now before the storm is upon you." _

_"I don't understand! What must I do?" _

_"You must seek out the Cetra Sage." _

_"The who?" _

_The rattle of gunfire sounded nearby. _

_"Please, I can hardly hear you!" Aeris shouted. _

_"Do not tarry. It may already be too late." _

_"What is going on? What war are you talking about?"_

_She heard the whistle of a shell. The night sky lit up around her an explosion shook the earth. Aeris nearly fell to the ground, her ears ringing so that she could barely hear the voice as it replied. _

_"The war between humanity and the Cetra."_

* * *

"Happy birthday dear Zangan, happy birthday to you!" filtered through the room, some voices more off key than others.

Cloud put the cake down on the table in front of the young child, a single candle burning in the center.

"Blow it out," Tifa said, standing behind her son.

With an assist from his mother, the candle was extinguished.

"Yay!"

Tifa stood up, smiling at the crowd gathered round. Most everyone from Avalanche was there, save for Vincent. She always liked to see them all gathered together. It seemed to happen so infrequently these days.

She turned and walked into the kitchen. Marlene was just coming out, a large stack of plates balanced precariously in her arms.

"Whoa, let me take some of those," Tifa said, stopping her.

"I can do it," Marlene reassured her.

"I know you're trying to be helpful," Tifa said, "but that's a little too much."

She lifted some of the top plates off the stack.

"I'll take care of this, Aunt Tifa," Marlene protested. "You should be relaxing. It's your son's birthday."

Tifa smiled. It had been a hectic day. Barret had come by early, been one of the first one's there, actually, and Marlene had been running around the whole time like a fiend helping her out.

"I really appreciate the help," Tifa told her. Especially since no one else had helped much. Well, Aeris and Shera had, but they had only arrived recently. "But it's okay, I'll do my part too."

Marlene nodded, giving in, and they brought the dishes over to the table and distributed them as Cloud cut the cake. Tifa sat down beside Zangan and gave him a small piece.

"Hey, this is really good," Cid commented as he wolfed down his own slice.

"Thanks," Tifa replied. "But I can't take credit for it. I got the cake from the bakery. I was just too busy to make one."

"Yeah, well, it's good anyway," Cid told her.

"Surprised your taste buds haven't been killed by nicotine," Yuffie commented wryly.

"Oh shut up you little twerp," Cid shot back. "My taste buds are just fine."

"Yeah, I really have to give him a lot of credit," Shera said, draping her arm on Cid's shoulders and kissing him on the cheek. "He's cut down a lot since Sydney was born."

"All right, don't get all mushy on me woman," Cid muttered, glaring at her.

The cake was soon devoured. Tifa set Zangan on the floor to play with Sydney, then helped Marlene clean off the table. Red curled himself up on the floor right in front of the couch, in a square of sunlight shining through the window. Syndey ran over and leaped on top of him.

"Kitty cat!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.

"Awww," Aeris commented.

Red looked uncomfortable.

"Whattsamatter Red, not good with kids?" Yuffie asked.

"No, it's not that," Nipala spoke up. "He's not happy being called a cat."

"Really?" Reeve spoke up. He hadn't known that, and from the look on the other's faces, neither had they.

"Well, she's just a baby," Aeris pointed out.

"I know," Red stated, giving Nipala a look. "That's why I didn't say anything."

"What's wrong with cat anyway?" Barret asked.

Red looked like he really didn't want to go any farther with this conversation.

"Well, it's insulting, frankly," he admitted. "I don't go around calling you all monkeys."

"No, but your kids might," Aeris said.

"Yeah," Yuffie spoke up. "When are we going to see some baby Nanaki's running around?"

"Yuffie," Aeris chastised.

"What?" Yuffie said innocently.

Red just lay there for a moment, looking flustered. Aeris suspected his cheeks would be pink if he wasn't red already.

"It is unlikely you ever will," he said after a moment.

That caught them by surprise.

"What do you mean?" Aeris said. For a long time Red had thought he was the last of his species, so of course at that time children were not a possibility. Now that they had found another of his kind however, she assumed that kids would be a natural next step for them. He and Nipala seemed to like each other well enough...

"I'm afraid you'll probably all be long gone before we have any children," Red clarified. "Our species doesn't reach sexual maturity until we're about two hundred years old."

Cid, on his third piece of cake and the only one still eating, made choking sounds.

"Two hundred!" he blurted out. "No wonder you're nearly extinct!"

"Yes, I suppose our longevity does have it's disadvantages," Red stated. "A lot of our kind were killed before they had a chance to have kids."

"Dang," Barret said. It was obvious they were all having a hard time grasping this. "If that don't beat all."

"That's really a shame," Aeris spoke up. "I think you would look cute with kids, Red."

Nipala grinned. Red glared at her.

"So, getting back to the original subject," Cid said. "Would you prefer being called a dog?"

"That's just as bad," Red replied. "We're not cats or dogs."

"Well, what the hell are you then?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Yeah, I've always kind of wondered that myself," Cloud said.

Red shrugged.

"We are what you see."

"Oh gee, that's informative," Yuffie muttered.

"But don't you have a name for yourselves?" Aeris questioned. "Surely you must call your species something?"

Red looked at Nipala, who gave a shake of her head.

"If we ever have, the name is lost to us," he responded.

"Well, we'll have to come up with our own name for you then," Aeris declared.

"Yeah," Yuffie agreed. "You're kind of a combination of cats and dogs, so how bout we call you Dats, or Cogs?"

"How bout we don't," Red replied succinctly.

Syndey ran over and pulled on her mother's blouse.

"Mommy! Zangan won't play with me!" she said.

The others looked over to see Zangan sitting on the floor, staring off into space.

Tifa walked over and kneeled down in front of her son, but he didn't even seem to see her.

"It's okay, he's listening to the planet," Aeris said.

Tifa remained still, her hands on her knees, staring at Zangan. She had seen this before. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but even so she wasn't really used to it, and she supposed she never would be. Even after a year she could still hardly believe that her child was a Cetra. She'd never forget what happened the day he was born...

_"Yes, I understand," Tifa said. "All three of us." _

_The door to their room opened, and Tifa looked up to see Aeris sitting comfortably in a wheelchair, with Reeve behind her. Tifa was about to greet her, but feel silent as she saw the serious look on her friends face. _

_"What's wrong?" Cloud asked. It was apparent to Tifa that she wasn't the only one who had picked up on it. _

_For a moment Aeris didn't say anything at all. _

_"We were just over in the nursery," she finally said hesitantly. "We saw the baby." _

_"And?" Cloud exclaimed. For some reason Tifa felt a knot forming in her stomach. Was there something wrong after all? _

_"And...he's a Cetra," Aeris finished. _

_"What?" _

_"He's a Cetra," Aeris repeated. "I could feel it. I could feel it as soon as I walked in. There's no doubt about it." _

_"But..." Tifa said, then feel silent. _

_"That's impossible," Cloud snapped, putting into words what Tifa couldn't finish. _

_"I know," Aeris said. "I can't explain it, but it's true." _

_No one spoke for a long time. Tifa just sat in bed, feeling...well, she was not sure what she felt. All this time, since the baby's conceptions she'd been worried, worried that something would go wrong. All kinds of scenarios had played out in her head, all kinds of horror stories, including the one Jinn had suggested. Yet none of them had prepared her for this. None of them had included their baby being a Cetra. _

_"That can't be right," Cloud said, obviously just as confused as she. "Are you sure you're not mistaken." _

_"I'm not," Aeris said firmly. _

_Cloud glanced at Tifa for a moment, then back at Aeris. _

_"Could I talk to you outside for a moment?" _

_Tifa frowned. _

_"What do you want to know?" she asked before Aeris could respond. _

_Cloud didn't turn toward her. _

_"It's nothing," he replied. "We'll just be a moment." _

_Tifa wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she was certain it was a lot more than nothing. _

_"Cloud, what are you thinking?" she asked. _

_"I said it's nothing," he replied. _

_"Cloud, I want to know what's going on!" she said, sure he had some idea in his head, an idea he obviously didn't want to broach in front of her. "You don't have to protect me!" _

_Cloud hesitated, looking at her for a minute, then nodded. _

_"I just thought, are you sure it's not Jenova you're feeling?" he asked Aeris. "We know now that Jenova and the Cetra were the same species. I would think whatever feeling you got from them would be similar." _

_Tifa held her breath for a moment, but Aeris shook her head. _

_"No, there's no mistake," she said. "In spite of their similarities, the feel of a Jenova and a Cetra are quite different." _

_Tifa felt herself sigh in relief. At least he was not a Jenova. She could be thankful for that. But why then did the knot in her stomach not go away? _

_"But how can that be then? Neither Tifa nor I have any Cetra blood." Cloud asked. _

_"I told you, I can't explain it," Aeris repeated. "I just know it's true."_

There had been no explanation. They took Zangan to some of the best doctors on the Planet. None could offer a plausible explanation. Genetic testing was done on all three of them. Zangan was definitely their child. That was easily established, but they could find nothing aberrant in his DNA. They took samples from Aeris too, just to have a Cetra template, but that led to nothing as well. It turned out that Aeris DNA was no more different from a human's than one human was to another. Whether that was because she was half human they couldn't really tell unless they had a full Cetra to test as well, and that of course was impossible.

The doctors had been baffled. There was no explanation, and life went on. Except for Zangan staring off into space every so often, which Aeris had explained was him listening to the planet, he seemed perfectly normal, perfectly human. Then one day Tifa and Aeris had been strolling down the street in Ifalnia when they had passed a young woman pushing a baby carriage and Aeris had gone suddenly white. When Tifa has asked what was wrong, Aeris had said she had felt it again, the child in the carriage was a Cetra too.

The stopped the woman and interviewed both her and her husband. Both of them seemed perfectly normal in every way and had never had any contact with an Ancient except for occasionally seeing Aeris.

By now it had become obvious that there was a lot more to this than just some strange quirk of Jenova cells from Cloud that had mutated or something, which had been the best guess up to that moment. Neither of these two new people had ever been exposed to Jenova cells, or ever even heard of Hojo. More questions were asked. Her suspicions aroused, Aeris began to frequent the OB ward at the hospital. In the next three weeks she found four more Cetra children.

A new investigation was promptly launched. Though Cetra genetic material could not be distinguished from human, an enzyme was found in Cetra blood that was absent from humans, which meant a simple blood test could determine a baby's heritage. Shockingly, it was found out that roughly one of every three children born in the last year in Ifalnia where Cetra.

And Ifalnia wasn't the only place it was happening. When they had tested people in other cities they have found Cetra children there too. It seemed to be happening all over the world, though not quite as frequently as in Ifalnia, and in the last few months it seemed to be increasing in frequency.

There were many people working on the problem, if you could call it that, but so far no one had come up with any answers or any explanations.

Tifa wasn't sure what to make of it all, of course. Thinking about it, it could have been a lot worse, but she still was not completely comfortable with it. Zangan was her child, and to think there was something alien about him, even something as harmless as being a Cetra, which might actually be beneficial to him, still worried her. She couldn't help but think that something bad would somehow come of it.

But perhaps that was just the pessimist in her.

Zangan suddenly opened his eyes. He turned to look directly at Aeris.

"Sage," he said, quite clearly.

Tifa just looked at him.

"Did he just say, Sage?" Cloud asked after a moment, a frown on his face.

"It certainly sounded like that," Shera said slowly.

"Sounds like he's learned a new word," Reeve commented.

Tifa shook her head slowly.

"Where would he learn a word like that?" she asked, frowning. Zangan had just begun to talk. At the moment his entire non baby talk vocabulary consisted of Mama, Daddie, and Choco, referring to a small stuffed chocobo that they had gotten him shortly after birth. He had only picked those up because they were spoken often in front of him. She was quite sure no one had been talking about sages in front of him.

"Maybe it was coincidence," Cid suggested. "Maybe it just came out sounding like sage."

"Maybe," Cloud agreed.

Tifa might have thought the same thing, but she suddenly noticed the look on Aeris face.

"Aeris, are you okay?"

"I...I was going to bring it up later. After the party was over," Aeris said hesitantly.

"Bring up what?" Reeve asked, sounding concerned.

Aeris told them about the dream she had had the night before.

"I would have told you sooner, but I didn't want to put a damper on the celebration or anything," she said when she was done. "It was so vivid, but even so, I thought it might be nothing, just a weird dream. But now, I'm not so sure."

They all just looked at Aeris. No one spoke for some time. Tifa lifted Zangan and pulled him into her lap.

"Cetra Sage?" Barret finally spoke up. "You mean like that Chocobo Sage dude?"

"Yeah, Aeris, are you sure that wasn't what it was?" Cloud asked.

"No," Aeris said, shaking her head. "It was Cetra Sage. I'm sure of it."

"Who the hell is the Cetra Sage?" Cid questioned.

"Never heard of him," Cloud said.

He turned to look at Red, who shook his head.

"Nor have I," the red beast stated.

"So what does it mean then?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa got up. Carrying Zangan, she left the room. Cloud noticed a troubled look on her face. He was tempted to follow, but he wanted to know what was going on first.

"Well, I'd say it's pretty obvious," Red said. "Someone wants us to seek out the Cetra Sage."

"Or something," Cid pointed out.

"Yes," Red conceded. "Someone or something wants Aeris to find the Cetra Sage, obstensiouly so we can avert some kind of war between the Cetra and mankind."

"The whole thing sounds pretty suspicious to me," Shera said. "A war between us and the Cetra. We've always been friends, haven't we?"

"Was Ellengio our friend?" Cid asked.

"Yes," Aeris replied after a moment. "He was just trying to do what he thought was best."

"What he thought was best for the Cetra," Cid pointed out.

"He wouldn't have hurt us," Aeris countered.

"Even if we'd tried to stop him?" Cid replied.

"We _did_ stop him," she reminded him.

"Red, have humans and Cetra always been friends?" Cloud asked.

"As far as I can recall, yes," Red replied. "But of course, I'm not really an expert on the subject. I'll have to go back to Cosmo Canyon and ask the Elders. They would probably know better than I."

"And while you're there, you can ask them about the Cetra Sage," Aeris said.

"Indeed," Red agreed.

"So we just wait until Red goes to consult with those bookworms?" Barret, ever the man of action, questioned.

"What else can we do?" Reeve said. "We don't even know if this Cetra Sage actually exists, much less where to find him."

"I don't know," Cloud said slowly. "Aeris, you did say this 'voice' left the impression you didn't have much time."

"Yes," Aeris agreed. "It basically told me I had to act immediately or it would be too late."

"Which doesn't make any sense at all," Cid said.

"What makes you say that?" Barret questioned.

"Okay, let's assume for a moment everything this voice told you is true," Cid continued. "That if you don't do something there will be a war between humans and Cetra. Well, right now the only Cetra around, besides you of course," he nodded toward Aeris; "are babies! I don't know for sure how quickly Cetra mature but surely it'll be _years_ before any of them are old enough to wage war."

"He's got a point," Barret conceded.

"Maybe," Reeve said slowly. "But that assuming that this all started with Zangan."

"Hum?" Nipala said.

"We became aware of this because Tifa and Cloud are good friends with Aeris and it was their baby that was a Cetra. Zangan might have been the first one we found, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was the first one it happened to. For all we know this could have been going on for years before we discovered it. For all we know, there might already be adult Cetra here."

"But wouldn't we know that? We've been testing people," Yuffie said.

"We've been testing babies," Reeve pointed out. "We haven't tested any adults. This might have been happening for a long time. In fact, it might be an ongoing thing."

"I think that unlikely," Red spoke up. "We've been testing babies because they can't talk, they can't tell us they're Cetra. An adult, of course, would be able to. If there were adult Cetra around don't you think someone would have noticed, or they would have told someone? It's like Shera said, humans and Cetra are friends. They'd have no reason to hide the fact."

"Whatever is going on, I'm pretty certain it's a relatively new phenomena," he continued. "Maybe it didn't start with Zangan, but it couldn't have started too much earlier. A year or two, maybe. I think it would become obvious pretty early in life whether someone was a Cetra or not, and their parents would pick up on that, especially now that we know it's happening."

"Which brings up back to the original problem," Cid stated. "Why the big rush if it won't be years before this war thing is even possible?"

"There is another possibility," Nipala said. "Maybe there are adult Cetra here, adult Cetra that weren't born from humans. Aeris thought she was the only Cetra left, but then we found Ellengio. If he was here, how do we know there aren't more?"

"Hmm, yes, that is a thought that hadn't occurred to me," Red admitted. "Still, even if there are other Cetra alive, I can't believe there can be many. Ellengio was just one man, easy to overlook. I don't think it would be as easy to miss a large population of them, and there would have to be a large population if we're talking about a war with humans. That's not a one man operation."

"Ellengio was found on the southern continent," Reeve pointed out. "A continent we hadn't even been aware existed. If you can hide a continent from us..."

"Good point," Cloud said.

"We didn't know about the southern continent because it was deliberately hidden from us," Yuffie said.

"And who's to say if there are any other Cetra around they might not be hiding themselves from us too?" Reeve asked.

"To what purpose?" Aeris questioned.

"I don't know," Reeve replied. "I'm just offering it as a possibility."

"We can babble about imaginary continents and hidden people all day and it's not going to get us anywhere," Barret cut in. "What are we going to _do_?"

They all just looked at him for a moment.

"He's right," Cloud said. "All this is just guesswork. I don't think anyone wants to fly around at random on the off chance we'll run into another hidden continent. What other leads do we have?"

No one spoke.

"I'll fly Red to Cosmo Canyon as soon as the parties over," Cid finally stated. "Maybe he can get an answer right away."

"The research might take some time," Red cautioned.

"Why don't you ask the Chocobo Sage?" Marlene questioned.

"Huh?" Barret said, looking at her.

Marlene stopped, noticing them all looking at her.

"Well," she said slowly. "They're both Sages right? Maybe...one knows something about the other?"

Again there was silence.

"Marlene, you're a genius," Cid said.

Marlene looked embarrassed.

"Yes, that's a great idea," Cloud agreed, kicking himself in his mind, and suspecting the others were doing the same. "I don't know why we didn't think of it ourselves."

"Because we're a bunch of dumbasses," Barret proclaimed.

"All right, the new plan is, Cid takes Red and Nipala back to Cosmo Canyon to do their research, then comes back here to fly us to the Chocobo Sage tomorrow morning," Cloud said. "Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Cid agreed.

Cloud looked around. None of the others seemed to have any objection. Having gotten that out of the way, Cloud walked out of the room in search of Tifa.

He found her sitting on the floor in Zangans room, showing Zangan how to do a small jigsaw puzzle. Her shoulders jerked, startled, when he opened the door, but when she saw it was him she turned back to what she was doing without saying a word. He sat down on the floor beside her.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything. Didn't look at him.

"Tifa?"

She shrugged.

"I just...I'm just worried," she said. "Hearing Zangan say that word, it was like it wasn't even him talking. It was so clear, like he was...possessed or something."

Cloud put his arm around her.

"You mean like me with Sephrioth?"

Tifa shuddered.

"I just don't want someone or some_thing_ to use my son as a mouthpiece."

"It wasn't Sephiroth, Teef," he said as reassuringly as he could. "As far as we can tell, it was someone who wanted to help us."

"I don't care!" Tifa snapped. She pushed his arm away and stood up suddenly, looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't want anyone toying with my son, no matter what the reasons! Leave him alone!"

Cloud stood up, reaching for her, but she pulled away.

"Tifa."

"Leave me be," she exclaimed, turning to look at him for a moment. "Maybe I can't hear the planet but that doesn't mean it can't hear me!" She looked back at the ceiling once more. "So you just leave Zangan alone. You hear me? You leave my baby _alone_!"


	2. An Old Acquaintance

CHAPTER II

AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE

"You should have gone you know."

Vincent did not answer for a moment. He stood on a footstool counting boxes of ammunition on the shelf above him. Elena stood on the floor below, looking up at him with a clipboard in her hand.

"Twenty two, twenty three, twenty four. Twenty four," he stated.

She wrote the number down on her clipboard as he looked down at her.

"I thought you wanted help doing this," he said. "The gun shop is opening tomorrow. It would have taken you all day to get this inventory done by yourself."

"I know, but still..." she said hesitantly, tapping her pen on the clipboard. "Zangan only turns one once."

"People only turn any age once," Vincent pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but one is special."

"Why is that?" he questioned.

Elena just stood there for a moment.

"I don't know, it just is," she finally stated with impeccable logic.

He gave her a look, then turned back to the shelf.

"Can't argue with that," he conceded. "We should be done in an hour or two. It's not too late. If we leave as soon as we're done we should get there before nightfall. The party will probably be over but we could stop by to say hello. Of course, we'd get back late..."

Elena made a face. She wasn't anxious to do that herself. If they went today they certainly wouldn't be back before midnight, and they had the grand opening tomorrow so they couldn't stay over. Tomorrow was an important day, and she didn't want to spend it trying to keep awake.

"Nah, you're right, that probably wouldn't be a good idea," she said. "I'm glad you stayed with me. We can drop in on them another time. I'm sure they won't mind."

Besides, it wasn't like Cloud and Tifa were their best buddies, she thought. She may be willing to put it behind her, but she wasn't about to forget what they had done to the reactors in Midgar. True, they were Vincent's friends, and as such she had gotten to know them a lot better, even if she hadn't wanted to particularly. She had to admit they weren't all bad. Even Aeris was tolerable once you got to know her. And the _had_ been the one's that had found Vincent and released him from his coffin. If they hadn't done that, he'd probably still be there and she'd never have met him.

Vincent started counting the next row of boxes on the shelf.

She wouldn't have wanted that. She couldn't imagine where she would be right now if it wasn't for Vincent. She had to admit things couldn't be going better. They loved each other. Vincent seemed to be in control of Chaos. They were opening their own store, it had even been Vincent's idea. She was surprised at that. She had thought him too caught up in his poring over Hojo's papers to get involved in anything that had to do with real life. However, even Vincent had to eat. He had admitted that his gil had been starting to run short of late. Not surprising considering he had had no source of income since they had defeated Sephrioth. He had finally faced reality and decided he had to do something.

And she was glad he had. They had pooled their resources and bought out the old Junon weapon shop owner who was moving to Gongaga. I had taken most of what they had but it seemed like a good investment. Plus she liked the idea of both of them having a stake in something. It made her feel closer to him.

And him closer to her, or at least, she hoped. She had to admit she was a little jealous of Tifa. She and Cloud were married, they had a son already. Elena looked down at her own unadorned left hand. It had been almost a year and a half since Vincent had told her he loved her. Though Vincent seemed much more open to her than he had been, she had long ago faced the fact that he would never be Mr. Sensitivity. Looking back on the last year it didn't seem they had made much progress. Vincent seemed in no rush to take things to the next level, in spite of her broad and obvious (at least to her) hints that she was ready to do so herself. The problem was, as usual, that he was so hard to read. She was well aware that a lot of men got cold feet when it came to commitment. She didn't know if he was deliberately ignoring her hints because of that or if he was just oblivious.

"Fifteen," Vincent announced.

Elena dutifully recorded the amount.

"Seems like Cloud and Tifa are very happy together," she commented.

Vincent did not reply.

"I envy them," she continued.

Vincent paused for a moment.

"Why's that?" he questioned, not looking at her.

"Because they seem so happy," she repeated. Wasn't he listening at all? "Being married and all," she added.

He shrugged.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," he replied. "They have been friends since childhood. I guess it was only natural they got together."

"Yeah, but you never know," she stated. "Love is a strange thing. You can never tell what's going to happen."

"True," he commented. His own love life was ample evidence of that. He hadn't exactly followed a linear path.

Apparently assuming the conversation was finished, he went back to his counting.

"I wonder what's going to happen to us," she mused.

He stopped again.

"I'm never going to be able to finish counting if you keep interrupting," he stated.

Elena glared at him, but she managed to stifle the anger she felt. That was a typical Vincent answer. They had plenty of time to get the inventory done. There was no rush. It was almost finished in fact. Sometimes he made her so mad, and yet she couldn't show it because she didn't know if he was just thick headed or being deliberate. What did it take to get through to him?

She looked at him for a moment.

"Let's get married," she suddenly blurted out.

Immediately her face reddened. It wasn't like her to be so blunt!

Vincent just stared at her.

"What?"

Elena felt embarrassed, but she didn't turn away. She had dropped enough hints and he had ignored them all. Maybe it was better to just put her cards on the table.

"You heard me," she said slowly.

He stood there for an agonizing long time not saying anything at all. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She stared at his eyes, trying to find some hint of his thoughts, but, like always, there was nothing there. She hadn't the slightest idea what he was thinking. She could understand him being surprised, she was surprised herself by her boldness. She took the fact that he hadn't run screaming from the room to be a good sign. He hadn't rejected the idea outright, nor had he made light of it. On the contrary, he seemed to be seriously considering it. She felt her excitement rise inside her.

At that very moment, the door to the shop suddenly opened.

Elena spun around, her excitement instantly replaced by anger. The shop was closed, the sign on the door plainly said so. Who could possibly have such incredibly bad timing?

"I'm sorry, but we're not open til..." she began.

And fell instantly silent when she saw who it was.

For a moment the sound of a pin dropping would have been deafening. Then the click of Vincent's heel on the wooden floor broke the silence as he stepped down from the footstool.

"Lucrecia," he said slowly.

Lucrecia's eyes slid past Elena and fell on Vincent. She took a slow step forward.

"Vincent. I think I know how to get rid of it."

Vincent's brow furrowed.

"Get rid of what?" he questioned.

"Chaos," she said. "I think I may be able to remove Chaos from you."

Once again the room was permeated by silence. Vincent just stood there, showing no reaction while Elena beside him could almost scream, and for any number of reasons. That they had been interrupted at such a key moment, that, against all hope, it might be possible to rid Vincent of Chaos, and yes, not least of all that it was Lucrecia, Vincent's long lost love, who stood before them telling them this.

"How?" Vincent's simple one word query seemed almost laughable in it's simplicity compared to the multitude of questions trying to force their way from Elena's lips.

"It's...complicated," Lucrecia replied.

Elena frowned. Had Lucrecia looked at her when she said that?

"Try," Vincent said.

"I'm not sure how much you know already," Lucrecia continued.

"It's my understanding that Hojo infused me with the cells of a two thousand year old Chadara," Vincent said. "Much like he infused others with Jenova cells."

"That's more or less correct," Lucrecia acknowledged. "Although saying someone was infused with Jenova cells is not quite right. Actually the process was to remove some of your own cells, replace your DNA in those cells with specially engineered Jenova or Chadara cells, then reimplant them in your body. The engineered cells acted like a virus, spreading the alien DNA throughout the rest of the cells in your body, but it never worked perfectly. Most of your cells managed to remain unaffected, otherwise you'd have turned permanently into Chaos long ago."

"And Cloud into a Jenova," Vincent said.

"Yes," Lucrecia agreed. "Anyway, I found some notes on an experimental procedure that may be able to reverse the process."

"Where could you have found them?" Vincent questioned. "I've gone all through Hojo's notes, both the one's from the Shinra mansion and the one's we salvaged from Midgar. Nothing I saw made any mention of that."

"Yes, and what do you mean by experimental procedure that _might_ reverse the process," Elena spoke up.

"One thing at a time please," Lucrecia replied. She turned her attention to Vincent. "You didn't find anything about it in Hojo's notes because he they weren't in his notes. He wasn't interested in reversing the process. He was only interested in accelerating it. He was only interested in turning people into twisted creatures in his vain search for the perfect warrior. He had no interest in correcting any mistakes."

"So where did you find this then?" Vincent asked.

"The notes were Prof. Gast's," she replied. "The both worked on the Jenova project. In fact, it was Prof. Gast who made the real breakthroughs, before Hojo had him killed, of course. I found them in the library at Icicle Inn."

"In the library?" Vincent said in surprise.

Lucrecia nodded.

"Believe it or not yes. When Prof. Gast was killed and Ifalna and Aeris taken prisoner, Hojo took what papers he was interested in from their home and left the rest. Since no one in Icicle Inn knew what to do with them and they looked too important to throw away, they were put in storage in the attic of the library. I was searching for more information on Hojo and Gast and the librarian mentioned them to me. It was pure luck, really."

Elena was wondering what Vincent was thinking about all this. The whole thing sounded too good to be true to her. She looked at him but his expression did not give away what he was feeling.

"So what do these papers say?" Vincent questioned.

"I'll try to keep it in laymen's terms. In the early stages of the Jenova experiments, Prof. Gast was working on a way to reverse the process, in case something went wrong. I'm not sure exactly what happened. Either he was taken away by more important work or maybe he was killed before he was finished. I've looked through it myself and filled in the blanks. It was pretty much complete or I wouldn't have been able to do it."

"So this is just guesswork?" Elena interrupted, unable to contain herself. The more she heard about this the less she liked it.

"No, it's not," Lucrecia replied. "It's based on sound scientific theory. I worked on the Jenova project too you know, and like I said, Prof. Gast had already done most of the work. There's a unique marker on all the alien cells. It was a tag that Prof. Gast added. His plan was to create a drug that would attack the DNA in the cells with the tag, inactivating it. Once the alien DNA is gone, your original DNA should kick in again."

"Should?" Elena said dubiously. "What if it doesn't?"

Lucrecia's brow furrowed.

"There are a number of risks involved," she said. "Prof. Gast worked out the theoretical possibilities, but as far as I can determine, he never did any actual experimentation to see if it would work. The drug could have serious, maybe even life threatening side effects. Even if it does work, if Vincent's original DNA doesn't take over the cell once the alien DNA is inactivated, the cell will die. If enough cells die it could be fatal, and of course there's always the possibility that the drug won't work at all for some reason that wasn't taken into account. Ordinarily we'd test the drug out quite thoroughly before using it on a human, but I'm afraid that's not really an option in this case. Vincent and Cloud are the only two people still alive that underwent this process, at least, as far as I know. With Gast and Hojo's deaths the secret of infusing Jenova cells in the first place was lost to us, so it's not like we can infect experimental animals and then see if we can cure them."

"So by doing this you could kill him," Elena said. Now she was sure she didn't like the idea.

"Like I said, there are risks," Lucrecia repeated. "But they're small. I'll monitor the drug the entire time. We'll start with small doses. Think of it as any other disease treatment. Even with well know drugs used to fight common diseases, there's always a small risk of an adverse reaction involved."

The comparison did not sit well with Elena at all. She felt Lucrecia was glossing over the hazards.

"What will I have to do?" Vincent questioned.

Elena looked at him. Was he seriously considering this?

"Come with me back to Nibelheim," Lucrecia replied. "A lot of Hojo's old equipment is still in the lab there. It wouldn't take long to set things up again."

Vincent stood there for a long time without saying anything. This whole thing was as much as a shock to him as it was to Elena, even though he hid it better. He wasn't sure what to think. What Lucrecia was proposing seemed inconceivable. It had been so long and he was so resigned to his fate. He had convinced himself that what Hojo had done to him was his punishment for what happened to Lucrecia and her son, that he had deserved it. Could it be possible that he could dare hope again?

He had to admit he wasn't anxious to return to the Nibelheim mansion. Not for what she had in mind anyway. More experiments. Even now, just thinking about it, memories began to rear up in the back of his mind, memories he had spent years trying to repress.

Yes there were risks, but that didn't bother him. He would gladly accept the risks. What concerned him more was if it would actually work. After suffering so long, after so many setbacks, he was afraid to even contemplate the possibility of a cure. His hopes had been dashed too many times in the past.

Only this time, it wasn't just him. He stole a glance at Elena. From what she had said already and the look on her face, it was obvious she had some serious reservations. As did he, but there was more at stake now. She had just asked him to marry her, and marriage meant a family. Cloud had been told the Jenova cells inside him were not inheritable, and it was true, Zangan showed no sign of being contaminated with them, but he wasn't exactly normal either. He was a Cetra, though no one could explain it. So were a lot of other children, from what he had heard, but even that didn't rule out the possibility that somehow there was a connection between Cloud's Jenova infusion and his son being a Cetra. If he could remove that risk, he'd feel a lot more comfortable thinking about marriage. After all, who would want to marry a man harboring a monster inside him, even if Elena seemed not to mind?

No, if there was any chance at all he was obligated to take it, not for his own sake, but for her.

"When do you want me there?" he asked.

Lucrecia pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

"No time like the present," she replied.

Elena just looked at them both. She could hardly believe this was happening. Vincent seemed to be perfectly willing to go along with her. She felt a tightening in her stomach. He wasn't even questioning her. Was he just going to walk out of here with her?

"You can't go," Elena blurted out.

The both turned to look at her.

"The grand opening of the shop is tomorrow!" she pointed out. "I need you to be here!"

"Only one of us needs to be here," he replied. "The inventory is almost done. That was the hard part."

"But..." she sputtered. She turned toward Lucrecia. "How long is it going to take?"

"There's no way to tell," the older woman responded. "It all depends on the drug's effects."

Elena looked back at Vincent.

"This is crazy. We just open the store and you're going to disappear for God knows how long? I thought you were going to stay here with me and help!"

"Yes, that was the plan," he replied, "but we didn't expect something like this to happen, now did we?

She looked from one to the other. She felt like they were ganging up on her and that just made her even more defensive.

"You can't just _leave_," she snapped. "I still have my job as a Turk, you know. I could be called away at any moment. The plan was for you to take primary care of the shop."

"I know," he said. "But you don't have anything going on with the Turks right now. That was one reason we picked this week to open the shop, remember? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"When will that be?" she demanded.

Vincent stepped toward her. He could see she was upset. He could understand, but there was more to it than their gun shop now. Sure that was important, but this was more important. Couldn't she see that?

"Like Lucrecia said, we don't know."

"That's not good enough!" she exclaimed. "We had plans, plans for you to be here. Lucrecia shows up out of the blue with some cockamamie scheme and you want to run right off with her? You don't even know if it will work. It might even kill you!"

"I'm not going to die," he told her.

"You don't _know_ that!" she snapped. "You don't know what will happen. How do you know you can even trust her?"

"What do you mean by that?"

She gave him a look.

"Just what I said," she replied. "She is the one who wanted to bring back Sephiroth, now wasn't she?"

Vincent glared at her for a moment, then looked at Lucrecia, whose face remained impassive.

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" he asked. "We need to talk alone."

Lucrecia nodded, then walked out of the shop.

"I can't believe you're buying this!" Elena snapped as soon as the door closed.

Vincent stared at her. For a moment she hesitated, feeling his eyes boring into her, but she forced herself not to turn away. She was well acquainted with Vincent's ability to stare down others, but she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. Not this time.

"How can you believe anything she tells you? You know from the last time we saw her that she's not all here. Hojo's experiments took their toll. I think she's unbalanced."

"You mean, like me?" he said calmly. "I know I don't have to remind you that Hojo experimented on me as well."

Elena closed her eyes for a moment. She suddenly had developed a pounding headache.

"Yeah, and you're not exactly Mr. Well Adjusted, now are you?"

"There's a difference between being poorly adjusted and being crazy," he told her.

"I know, but maybe you're stronger than she is. This whole thing just seems insane. I don't want you to go."

"I don't really want to leave either," he said. "Whatever you say about Lucrecia, she really is a scientist, and she knows what she's talking about. If she thinks there's a chance this might work I would tend to believe her. Yes, she wanted Sephiroth back, but he was her son after all, and she did come to her senses when it counted, now didn't she?"

"I don't now. I guess," Elena conceded. "I still don't like it though. I don't like the idea of you taking off with her."

"So come with us," he suggested.

"You know I can't do that!" she responded. "Someone has to stay here and take care of the shop. We're opening tomorrow!"

"So postpone it," he replied.

"We can't do that! It's too late. We've already advertised for tomorrow. It's in all the papers. We can't just cancel it. The customers are going to show up and they'll never come back if the place is closed. Plus we'd lose all that advertising. Why can't you just go another time?"

"You're here to cover the shop," he replied. "We don't know if that will the case in the future."

"It just doesn't make sense," Elena tried again. "All of a sudden she shows up with this wild idea? I don't trust her."

Vincent gave her a puzzled look.

"What, you think she has some evil scheme in mind?" he questioned.

"I don't know! Do you still love her?"

Vincent just looked at her for a moment. Where had that question come from?

"Is that what this is all about?" he said after a moment. "Are you afraid I'm going to run off with her and leave you?"

"Answer the question!" she demanded.

"Lucrecia is very dear to me," he said very deliberately. "Though I don't know if you could say I love her anymore, but I haven't forgotten what we once had, no matter how fleeting or one sided it might have been, but I don't love her the way I love you. Elena, she's giving us an opportunity to get rid of Chaos. Don't you realize what that means? I can be a human being again. I'll never have to look over my shoulder and worry that Chaos may come out at some inopportune moment. I'll never have to worry about him hurting you. I'm doing this for you!"

"He's not going to hurt me," she told him. "Roshnialu taught you how to control it. We've both learned to accept it. Have you stopped to wonder what kind of effect this might have on you, getting your hopes up like this, and then having it not work? I don't want this to set you back years after all we've worked for."

"It's not going to set me back. I can handle it. I'm not going to get my hopes up."

"You don't know that!' she exclaimed. "You don't know what's going to happen."

"And neither do you," he told her flatly. "Can you really stand there and tell me you don't want me to go? Can you really tell me you want me to pass up maybe the only chance I'll have to be human again?"

"No, I don't want you to pass up the chance, if I believed it could happen," Elena replied. "But I don't. I don't think it's going to work."

"But you don't know that."

"No, I don't. It's a feeling, okay? I've got a feeling something bad will happen. I don't want you to go!"

"You're not being rational," he stated.

"Oh you men and your rational! Why does everything have to be rational? Why does everything have to make perfect sense? Don't you feel anything at all? There are some things that you just know are wrong, in spite of any evidence to the contrary."

"I'm sorry but this just does not strike me as being particularly wrong," he commented.

"That's because it's Lucrecia," she said.

"Which is the real reason you're not happy with the idea, isn't it?" he replied. "You mean to tell me you're going to pass up a chance for me to human again because of jealousy?"

"You mean you're going to just go along blindly with her because you used to love her?" she countered.

"It's not the same and you know it," he replied curtly. "She's not making this up."

"Are you sure? What was she doing, snooping around at Icicle Inn? How did she come across this stuff in the first place? What was she really looking for?"

"I'm sorry but I don't see anything sinister here," he told her. "I've been searching through Hojo's papers for years myself, now haven't I? Is it that hard to believe we were both looking for the same thing?"

"Yes it is!' Elena shot back. "She never mentioned she was doing anything like that to you. How do we know this is not some twisted plot to bring Sephrioth back again?"

"What? How could that be?"

"I don't know! Look, they needed a Cetra or someone infused with Jenova cells to bring him back, right? Well, what if Chadara cells will do as well?"

Vincent blinked.

"That's totally off the wall," he stated. What the hell was wrong with her? Where did she ever get an idea like that? "There's no link between the Chadara and the Cetra, not like there is with Jenova. And she'd need the crystal material and that was destroyed on Grouchoon."

"I don't want you to go!" Elena repeated.

He just looked at her for a moment. What had gotten into her? He had seen her act irrationally before, but never like this. From what she had said and how she acted he had to conclude this was a reaction to Lucrecia. If she was going to let her emotions get in the way like this, how could he trust anything she said? It seemed almost impossible to believe she couldn't see the benefit of this if it worked, for both of them.

In any case, in this state, he didn't see how he could argue with her. It was obvious she wasn't going to listen to reason.

"I have to," he said.

He started for the door.

"I don't want you to go!" she shouted. She couldn't believe it. He was going to go? He was going to leave her in spite of her protests?

"I can't argue with you when you're like this," he said, continuing toward the door.

She stood there, waiting for him to stop. He had to stop. _Please_ stop! The door was open now. He had opened it. He was really doing it. He was really leaving.

"If you go, don't expect me to be waiting when you come back!" she cried out.

For just a moment he hesitated, then the door closed behind him and Elena found herself alone in the gun shop.

She fell to her knees and began to sob.

* * *

"Hold on, I've almost got it."

Rude stood behind Lai Li as she tapped quickly on the keyboard of the computer in front of her.

"She's almost got it," Rude relayed, looking over at Reno, who was seated in a leather chair not far from them, leaning back with his feet up on his desk.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Reno stated.

Lai Li's fingers continued to tap on the keys.

"I can almost taste that steak now," Rude commented.

"Hey, you haven't succeeded yet," Reno pointed out. "Don't count your steak before it's hatched, or whatever."

"I'm in," Lai Li announced triumphantly.

"You're in?" Rude repeated.

"She's in?" Reno thirded. He got up and walked over behind her.

"Yup," Lai Li confirmed. "Here we are, the Avalanche website file manager."

"We did it," Rude commented.

"You mean Lai Li did it," Reno corrected. "Maybe I should just buy _her_ dinner."

"Hey, don't try to weasel out of it," Rude said. "It's a package deal."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Reno replied.

"I'm putting it up right now," Lai Li told him. She used another program to pull of a graphic.

"That's the one you want to use, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Reno said.

"All right, I'm uploading it."

They waited a few minutes.

"All right, that should do it," Lai Li said when it was done. "Now let's go to their homepage."

She typed in the URL and a moment later the Avalanche website appeared on their screen, but instead of the usual Avalanche logo they saw a large banner that said 'Turk's Rule'.

"Perfect," Reno said, laughing evilly. "This is worth the cost of a steak dinner."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Lai Li told him. "I imagine Reeve will correct it pretty quickly. They're going to know it was us."

"Of course," Reno replied. "That's the idea."

"You are so bad," Lai Li told him.

"Me bad? You're the one who did it!"

"If anyone asked, you forced me to," she said.

"Yeah right."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted as the phone rang.

Reno picked it up.

"Talk to me."

He stood there for a moment listening.

"What's wrong?"

His tone of voice instantly sobered the others.

"Elena, calm down," he continued. "I can barely understand you."

Lai Li looked at him curiously from her seat.

"Yeah. Uh huh. Take it easy would ya? I know, but that's no reason to...all right. Just relax. I'll be over there as soon as I can, okay? Yeah, I won't be long. I promise. Now chill out, would ya. Okay. Bye."

He hung up the phone and looked at the others.

"Elena's had some kind of meltdown," he told them. "She's hysterical. Something to do with Vincent, as if that's a surprise. I'm going to go over there and try to calm her down."

"She has a crisis and she wants to talk to you?" Rude said with a look of surprise.

"Well, yeah, what's wrong with that?" Reno shot back. "It's not like she's got a wealth of friends to chose from. You think she wants you to come over, Mr. Conversationalist?"

He headed for the door.

"Mind the store."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Rude said. "It's not like people have been tripping over themselves trying to get in here lately."

"Yeah, well, every business has it's slow periods," Reno said. Just as he reached for the door it suddenly swung open. A young man in full samurai gear and a large katana hanging from his belt barreled in, nearly running right into Reno.

"Whoa, what's the rush Samurai boy?" Reno said, a little annoyed at having to dodge out of the way in order not to be trampled.

"I'm here for my bride," the young man announced with a heavy Wutai accent. "I've been told she hangs in here a lot."

"I think you're shootin' for, hangs out," Reno straightened him out. "And who the hell are you talking about?"

"Why the flower of Wutai of course," the young man responded reverently. "Lady Yuffie Kisaragi."

For a moment they all just stood there looking at one another, then Reno slowly turned toward his companions.

"My, but isn't this turning out to be one helluva day," he muttered.


	3. The Chocobo Sage

CHAPTER III

THE CHOCOBO SAGE

Elena's face was puffy when she opened the door, her eyes red and her cheeks stained with tears. Reno held out the box of tissues he had had the prescience to bring along.

"Thought you might need these," he commented.

She took them without a word and turned away. He walked in as she sat down on a chair by the counter of her and Vincent's new Weapons Shop. The floor around the chair was already littered with tissues.

"So what happened?" Reno questioned.

"I..."Elena began, seemingly barely able to speak. "And then he...and then...Lucrecia...and she wanted him to go but I didn't...but he wanted to even though he said he really didn't and then he did," she sputtered.

Reno hopped up and sat on the counter beside her.

"Well, that certainly clears things up," he muttered. It was pretty much what he had gotten over the phone. She wasn't listening, but instead crying again. "All right, take your time and we can talk when you regain your ability to speak in coherent sentences."

Reno waited, trying to hide his impatience, as Elena continued to sniffle. Reno had to hand it to Vincent. Whatever his transgression, he had sure outdone himself this time. He knew Elena was the flighty emotional type, but he'd never seen her in this kind of shape before.

He had often wondered why Tseng had picked Elena when he had been out of commission and they had needed another warm body. She certainly didn't seem like the Turk type. In fact, he could think of few people he'd have been less inclined to pick if taken at face value. He knew Elena liked Tseng, but he had never gotten the impression that her feelings were ever returned in any way. Tseng was a consummate professional and would never have let emotions get in the way of his choosing someone to be a Turk, but Reno couldn't help but wonder if Elena's feeling for Tseng had influenced him just this once.

Still, after working all this time with her, he had to admit she did have her good qualities. She was a hard worker when she wasn't blabbing, and she had been more than willing to put her life on the line for them. Hard as it might be to believe, she had always made good decisions when the chips were down. No matter what his personal feelings were she was one of them now. Reno didn't consider himself a particularly moral person. In fact, he tended toward the opposite end of the spectrum, but he did have his own moral compass, tilted as it might be, and at the top of his list was loyalty to his fellow Turks.

Which was why he was here, waiting for Elena to speak, although he thought of himself as pretty much the last person anyone would want to open up to, without once making fun of her. At least, not out loud.

Finally Elena seemed to calm down enough to speak. Haltingly she told Reno what had happened earlier, about how Lucrecia had suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere spouting about some miracle cure, and how Vincent had just gone along with her, in spite of Elena's denouncements that it was a very bad idea.

"So let me get this straight, she offered him a possible cure for this Chaos monster inside him, a chance for him to be normal again, and you were angry that he agreed?" Reno said when she was done.

"Well yeah," Elena replied hesitantly. "But I already told you I didn't believe her."

"But you have no proof she's lying," he pointed out.

"And he had no proof she wasn't," Elena responded. "In any case, he didn't have to go running off with her like that at the drop of a hat while just ignoring the way I felt about it."

"He just ignored you? He didn't say anything to you at all?"

Elena pulled another tissue out of the box.

"He told me he couldn't talk to me when I was like this."

"Like what?" Reno questioned.

"Like this!" Elena said. "All upset and everything. He said I was just being jealous."

"Are you?"

"No, yes...I don't know," she clarified.

Reno looked at her for a moment. She saw his look and turned away from him.

"I should have known you'd take his side," she said miserably.

"I'm not taking sides, " Reno said. No matter how much he might think Elena was overreacting, he knew telling her that wouldn't help at all. She was just starting to calm down a little. The last thing he needed was to say the wrong thing and set her off all over again. "But c'mon Elena. You realize what she was offering don't you? A chance to be human? Even if it's some kind of wild goose chase, don't you think Vincent should at least check it out?"

"I don't know," Elena said. "I didn't say he _couldn't_ check it out. It was just so sudden, you know? I mean, c'mon, the stores opening tomorrow. I thought things were going pretty well, and now this? I thought we were done with all this crap. I thought we could settle down now and have nice peaceful lives together. But no, Lucrecia has to show up and throw the whole thing in an uproar."

She saw the look Reno was giving her.

"All right, I realize I'm being irrational," she admitted. "But it was all just so sudden. I didn't get a chance to think. Sure, I'd like Vincent to be normal again, just the thought of it gives me chills of excitement, but I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm jealous, maybe I'm just being pessimistic, but I don't think she can do it. After all he and I have gone through, can you blame me?"

"No, I guess not," Reno admitted. "I guess I can see you flying off the handle, but now that you're had time to think about it, how do you feel now?"

She took a moment to blow her nose.

"I don't know," she replied. "I still don't like the idea of him running off with her. With the timing and all, I can't help but think she did this on purpose. She knew I couldn't go with him."

"How could she have known that?" Reno said skeptically.

"I don't know," she repeated. "It wasn't like she couldn't have found out that we were opening the Weapons shop tomorrow. It was in all the papers."

"So she waited all this time just to lure Vincent away by himself," Reno said. "To what purpose, to steal him back?"

"I don't know," she repeated yet one more time. "It's possible isn't it?"

Reno sighed.

"Sure, anything's possible," he conceded. "Look, I know Vincent was pining over Lucrecia all these years, and yes he must have loved her very much, but they had a chance to work things out after we all resurrected Aeris. I still can't believe I had a hand in that..."

"Me neither," Elena muttered. She hadn't been anxious to bring back Aeris at all, but she hadn't had a chance to think about it at the time, and even now it still seemed a better choice than having that nutcase Sephiroth running around loose.

"Anyway, you know what happened," Reno continued. "They had time afterwards to spend together. You know it didn't work out for them. Things had changed between them, right? Not surprising really, after all, Lucrecia was now thirty years older and Vincent hadn't aged at all. That's a big stumbling block right there if you ask me."

"Age doesn't make any difference at all," Elena disagreed. "They _loved_ each other."

"With the emphasis on past tense," Reno noted. "Look, what I'm trying to say is they had their chance to get back together and it didn't work out. Vincent did his atonement or whatever the hell he needed to. They were over each other, so what's the big deal? You think she suddenly changed her mind after all this time?"

"Well, it's possible," she said defensively.

"Like I said, anything's possible," Reno replied. "Okay, even if that's true, even if she came back for Vincent, what makes you think _he'd_ be interested now? It's not like he's still pining for her."

"Yeah but..." Elena said. She shook her head.

"The way I figure it is, he'll go with her until he finds out this whole thing ain't gonna work, and then he'll come wandering back to you," Reno said.

Elena looked up at him.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course," he replied. "I toldya, they already had their shot. It's over between them. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll send someone over to Nibelheim to check out the situation."

"Oh thank you Reno!" Elena said gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too excited about it," he said quickly, holding up his hands. "Don't think I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart, I'll make you make up for it in paperwork."

"That's okay, you're a true friend."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "Just don't let it get around."

"I'll make sure it stays our little secret," she told him.

"Yeah, and we know how good you are at keeping secrets."

She gave him a look.

"I'll keep this one," she promised.

"All right then." He looked her up and down. She looked much better than she had when he first walked in the door, well enough that he thought a little kidding wouldn't bother her. "It's all your own fault anyway," he continued. "Didn't I tell you never to get involved with a vampire?"

"He's _not_ a vampire!' Elena defended him.

"So you've said before," Reno replied. He got up, looking at her closely. "I don't know though. Is that a bite mark I see on your neck there? Or is that just Vincent's idea of a hickey?"

Elena pushed him away.

"There is nothing on my neck!" she insisted, rubbing it with her hand. "You are so _bad_."

Reno grinned.

"Yeah, I know. So, you feel better now?"

"Yes much," she said, nodding vigorously.

"Good," he replied. "There's enough weird things going on today without you cracking up on us."

"Oh, what do you mean?" she questioned.

Reno told her about the young man who had barged into their office right before he had left to come here.

"He called Yuffie his bride?" Elena exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Uh huh," Reno said. "Apparently they had known each other as kids, but when the war came his family moved away from Wutai, up into the mountains somewhere, supposedly. Before he left they promised they'd meet again and get married. Apparently they were only about five or six when this happened but he seems to have taken it very seriously."

"That's unbelievable," Elena stated. "Surely he doesn't expect Yuffie to hold to a promise like that?"

"Seems so," Reno said matter of factly.

Elena stopped suddenly and looked at him.

"How do you feel about that?" she questioned.

Reno shrugged.

"It's got nothing to do with me," he said.

"Oh you are so full of it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you've got the hots for Yuffie."

Reno's eyebrows went up.

"I do _not_ have the hots for Yuffie," he denied categorically.

"Yeah right," she replied. "As if it wasn't _obvious_."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"C'mon," she cajoled. "You can't fool me. I've seen you two together plenty of times. There's got to be something to it.

"You see us together because she's a pest and follows me around all the time," he replied. "It's not me who has the hots for her, it's the other way around."

"Yeah, and you feel nothing at all," Elena said sarcastically. "You've gone on dates with her."

"So what? I've gone on dates with lots of woman."

"No, it's more than that," Elena insisted. "Tell me, how many other women have you dated more than once in the last since months?"

"I don't know," he said slowly.

"How many?"

"I told you, I'm not sure. Plenty."

"One, two, five?" she prodded.

"I am _not_ going to get sucked into this conversation," he announced.

She looked at him for a moment.

"Fine, but don't think I'm not on to you."

He didn't bother to give her a response.

"So where is he now?" she questioned. "I can hardly wait to see what Yuffie has to say about this."

"I sent him off to Ifalnia," Reno told her. "Yuffie's there for Cloud's kid's birthday."

"Zangan," she told him.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I was tempted to go along with him just to see the look on her face."

Elena smiled. She had to admit that should be quite an interesting meeting.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," she said.

"All right," he said, looking around for a moment. "It's not gonna do you any good sitting around here. Too many reminders of fang boy. C'mon, let's blow this joint."

She looked at him for a moment.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm treating Rude and Lai Li out to dinner," he said. "You might as well join us and we'll make it a foursome."

"You're treating them? Reno is treating? How'd that happen?"

"I lost a bet," he replied.

She looked at him. He waved his hand.

"It's a long story. C'mon, I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

Cloud woke up and rubbed his eyes. He sat up. Light was streaming in through the curtains. He glanced over at the clock on the mantle. Not even eight o'clock yet. A little early for him to be up, actually. He looked over and saw the bed next to him was empty. He pulled the covers off and got up.

Most everyone was still asleep, though he could hear some sounds from the kitchen. Not hard to guess who was in there. He had to pick his way through the bodies of those sacked out on the living room floor to reach the kitchen. He smiled. Seeing everyone here, he couldn't help but be reminded of old times, with all of them gathered together chasing after Sephiroth. It had been wild but fun, and they got together so rarely of late.

Tifa was indeed cooking in the kitchen. Aeris was there too, setting the table in preparation for breakfast.

"You two the only one's up?" he asked.

"Apparently," Aeris replied. "It is a little early. I'm sure the smell of food will rouse most."

"Don't get up, don't eat," Tifa proclaimed.

Cloud sat down at the table and rested his arms on it.

"That's good enough for me," he said. He looked at Aeris. "So, you think we'll get any useful information about the Cetra Sage from the Chocobo Sage?"

Aeris lifted her shoulders.

"I don't know," she replied. "I certainly hope so. It's really the only clue we've got."

"True," he muttered. The Chocobo Sage. The absent minded little man in the mountains. He had almost forgotten the man existed.

"So, is Elmyra going to look after Zangan?" he asked, turning toward Tifa this time.

She had her back to him. She hesitated for a moment.

"I'm not going," she said finally.

"Huh?" Cloud and Aeris both said.

Tifa turned around.

"I'm not going," she repeated. "I think it would be better if I stay here with Zangan."

Cloud saw the troubled look on her face. She was obviously still bothered by what had happened yesterday. Still, no harm had come of it and he seriously doubted if anything else would happen. Whoever, or whatever, had done it had gotten their point across.

"Aww c'mon Teef," he said. "We're not going to be gone long. Just a quick run to the Chocobo Sage's and back. Shouldn't be more than an hour or two. I don't think anything's going to happen in that time."

"No, I'd rather not leave," she said, slowly shaking her head.

"But we might need you," he tried again.

"I don't care," Tifa cut him off, making it pretty plain that she had made up her mind. "I'm staying."

Cloud just looked at her for a moment. He opened his mouth again but then abruptly closed it. He could see from the look in her eye that arguing would be pointless. Sometimes she could be as stubborn as Aeris.

"Why don't you bring him with us?" Aeris suggested.

Cloud nodded toward Aeris.

"Yeah, why not?" he said, suddenly brightening.

Tifa looked at them for a moment.

"It might be dangerous," she said eventually.

"Dangerous? Tifa, it's the Chocobo Sage!"

"We've been to other places we thought were safe and didn't quite turn out that way now haven't we?" she pointed out. "Didn't you just say you might need me? Well, why would you if it's so safe? What, you need someone to make lunch?"

Cloud gave her a look.

"It's not about your cooking, or your fighting skills for that matter, that we want you along," he said. "You're a part of the team."

"Yes," Aeris agreed. "You never know who's going to contribute something important. We want you to come along."

Tifa looked suddenly embarrassed. She turned away.

"Thank you," she said. "I didn't mean to make this a 'let's praise Tifa' thing. I wasn't fishing for compliments. It's no big deal. You're only going to be gone a little while, and you can fill me in when you get back. I'm sure if I have any 'sage' comments to make, I'll be able to do it then."

Cloud drummed his fingers on the table.

"If you really want," he said. "But I still don't see why you just don't bring Zangan along. If you think it's dangerous you can both stay in the Slipstream the whole time. I'm sure you'll be safe there."

"I don't know," Tifa replied. "I'd just rather...not."

"All right, if you wish," Cloud gave in. He was disappointed, though he wasn't really sure why. She was right, they'd only be gone for a little while and they could fill her in when she got back. It wasn't like the _needed_ her there.

"Breakfast is ready," Tifa announced.

About an hour later breakfast was finished. The others had gotten up, or been prodded, and now everyone's stomach was full and Tifa was clearing off the table. There had been much discussion about the Chocobo and Cetra Sage during the meal, but no great revelations came from it. They weren't going to learn anything new until they stood in front of the Chocobo Sage himself.

Cid stood up and stretched.

"Well, we ready to get this show on the road?" he asked.

Cloud grabbed hold of Tifa's hand as they all headed for the front door.

"We shouldn't be too long," he told her. "No more than a couple of hours."

Tifa nodded.

"Be careful."

"I will." He kissed her.

The others filed out the door. Barret, who was last, took a look at them before exiting.

"Better get going," Tifa said. "Or they'll leave you behind."

"You sure you won't change your mind?" he tried one last time.

She shook her head.

"You sound like we won't be seeing each other for days."

"Yeah, well," he replied, not really sure what to say. "All right, I'll get going. Be back soon."

"Bye," she said.

They kissed again, then he walked out the door. He started down the street, after the others who were far ahead by now. He glanced back but couldn't see anything but the front of their small cottage. They had moved to Ifalnia a few months after the battle with Wisteria. After the bar had been destroyed in Kalm, they really hadn't had anything to keep them there, and Cloud felt Tifa would be more comfortable near her friend Aeris. Their house was on the surface, not far from the old entrance to the city below. The city on the surface was now larger than below ground. Even so it wasn't that far a walk to the new airport.

Shortly afterward they found themselves aboard the Slipstream.

"Are you sure you can find this guy?" Barret questioned as he buckled himself in.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Cid commented. "We'll just have to see."

In minutes they were in the air. Cid banked the plane to the north. The Chocobo Sage's little cabin hadn't been all that far from Ifalnia. Hopefully it would only take them minutes to get there, that was, if the guy was even still alive, Cid though ruefully. As far as he knew, no one had been to visit the man since they had. No one had seen hide nor hair of him. But as far as he knew, no one had before they had run into him on their quest either. For all they knew, he could still be there wandering around in his little cabin perfectly happy with only a chocobo or two to talk to.

Cid only had to hunt for a little while. They came over the crest of a snow covered peak and saw a cabin nestled in a small clearing in the snow below. Cid brought the Slipstream down on the edge of the cleared area.

"All right, that was easy," Red proclaimed as they disembarked.

"Let's just hope he knows something," Cloud commented.

"Let's just hope he's even here," Yuffie said rather pessimistically.

It was obvious right from the get go that someone was there. A thin line of smoke curled up from the chimney, before being dispersed by the winds blowing down from the mountains. Cloud looked around slowly as the approached the cabin. It had been a long time since they had last been here, but it seemed as if nothing had changed.

And indeed, everything inside the cabin was the same as well, the only difference being the chocobo in the small stable was black this time. The Sage stood by the fire with his back toward them, wearing the same floppy hat he had on the last time they had seen him.

"Hello, Mr. Sage," Aeris called out.

The Chocobo Sage turned around. He looked exactly the same as he had, small jolly eyes framed by white hair and beard. He squinted at them for a moment.

"Well, visitors," he muttered. "I haven't seen anyone in here in...in...well, I don't know how long it's been. Last spring I would think. That nice gentlemen came in with more supplies. Hmm, or was that the spring before..."

"We need some information about the Cetra Sage," Barret said bluntly.

"But wait, I forget my manners," the Sage went on as if he hadn't heard. "Understandable since it's been so long since I've had guests. Or at least, I think it has. Come, come in. Sit down and make yourselves at home."

The others looked around at the sparsely furnished room. There was no place to sit.

"That's all right, we're quite comfortable the way we are," Aeris reassured him. "We need to know if you've ever heard of the Cetra Sage."

"Cetra Sage eh? Cetra Sage...I have heard that before..."

"You have? Where?" Yuffie cut in.

"It was...it was...well, I'm not sure actually. Who did you say you were again?"

"We didn't," Barret said impatiently. "We're Avalanche, and we need to find the Cetra Sage."

"An avalanche did you say? We haven't had one of them here in years. I remember the last time we had one. Came down out of the mountains in the west. Nearly buried the cabin. Spent days digging out."

"No, not an avalanche," Barret said. "_We're_ Avalanche. It's the name of our group. That's not important though. What we really need to know is how to find the Cetra Sage."

"What's that? The name of your group? Well, if that don't beat all. What a strange name. What a strange name indeed."

He seemed to ponder this for some time.

"Well, do you know anything about the Cetra Sage or not?" Barret said impatiently.

"Young people, always in a rush. I suppose it's always been that way though. You get older you realize life isn't going to pass you by if you sit back and relax for a bit. You may even see something you would have missed in all your running here and there."

"We're sorry if we appear a bit rushed, but it is very important to us," Cloud stated.

"Yes, yes," the Sage said, nodding. "Everything is rush rush and important important. That's another thing with young people. Everything is so important. What you don't seem to realize is that whatever you do or don't get done today, the sun will still rise tomorrow."

"That's all well and good," Barret said, beginning to sound rather exasperated. They had all forgotten just how much the Chocobo Sage's mind could wander. "There's no rush, it's not that important, take your time. Just tell us what you know."

"About what?" the Sage questioned innocently.

Barret's hands shook.

"About the Cetra Sage," Cid spoke up.

"Ah yes, the Cetra Sage. I have heard that somewhere..."

"You already told us that," Yuffie exclaimed.

"Oh, have I? Well, if I already told you,then why are you asking me again?"

"Grrrr!" Yuffie growled.

"Yuffie, calm down," Aeris said. "You know he's a little absent minded."

"A little?" she exclaimed, obviously in no mood to calm down. "He's a doddering old fool! He's even worse than last time. We're never going to get any useful information out of him!"

"Yuffie!" Aeris chastised.

"What?" Yuffie proclaimed. "You know it's true! Ask anyone!"

"Yuffie, if you can't say anything useful, why don't you just stay out of it?" Cid interjected.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Yuffie exclaimed. "You think you can get him to talk? Admit it, you're as impatient about this as I am!"

"Maybe so, but I don't think insulting him is going to help the situation," Cid responded.

"Yeah Yuffie, lay off," Barret added.

"Oh so now you're all picking on me because I had the courage to say what you were all thinking?"

"We were not all thinking that," Red said.

"Oh no, you were thinking the man is a tower of intellect, right?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Red stated. "The fact of the matter is this man may be our only chance to find the Cetra Sage."

"Well, then it doesn't look like we're going to find him, now are we?" Yuffie shot back.

"Oh Yuffie, just shut up!" Barret snapped.

"Shut up yourself!"

"All right, that's it!" Aeris suddenly shouted. "Everyone _out_!"

They all stopped and looked at her.

"You heard me. Go! Out! All of you!" she exclaimed, pointing at the door.

"Geez Aeris, you..." Yuffie began.

Aeris pinned her with a look.

"Go!"

They all looked at one another for a moment.

"Fine," Yuffie muttered. "You want to stay in here all day and bang your head on the wall be my guest. Good luck to you."

She walked out the door. One by one the others filed out as well. Cloud came up to the door last and closed it. He walked back over to Aeris. She looked at him for a moment but said nothing to him, instead turned back to the Sage.

"I apologize for the rudeness of my friends," she said. "But it is very important information we are seeking and some of them are a little big...high strung."

The Sage just looked at her with a bemused expression.

"No need to apologize," he said, sounding not in the least bit offended. Cloud wasn't even sure he realized he had been insulted. "Your friends had to go?"

"Yes, they had to go," Aeris agreed.

"Young people. Always in such a rush. I suppose that's the way it will always be. Did you come here to buy something?"

"No, actually we came to ask you about the Cetra Sage," Aeris said patiently.

"Ah yes, I haven't heard that name in a long time."

"So you have heard it before," she said.

"Yes, I do remember something...something long ago. I don't think...Have we been introduced?"

And so it went on. The Chocobo Sage rambling about this and that, and Aeris, with seemingly infinite patience, constantly leading him back to the question of the Cetra Sage. Cloud wasn't sure how long they talked. There was no clock in the room, but it seemed like hours. For a long time Aeris didn't seem to be getting anywhere, and Cloud soon lost interest in the conversation. After a while, in fact, he started to think that maybe Yuffie was right, but Aeris refused to give up. Cloud left her too it, it being obvious that she was the only one here with the patience to handle this. After a while, he walked over to the black chocobo and started to pet it. It seemed very friendly.

He wasn't sure how long the conversation went on as just an indistinct murmur in the background, but when he tuned back in, it seemed that Aeris had made some progress.

"The eastern islands?" she said.

Cloud walked back over to them.

"In the east," the Sage said. "It was long ago. He might not even be there anymore. Things change. People move on. But he was there, on the eastern island."

Aeris looked up when she saw Cloud come up beside her.

"See, he does know something," she said. "He says the Cetra Sage can be found on one of the eastern islands."

"That helps," Cloud said. "But there are a lot of islands. Can't he narrow it down a bit for us?"

"I've been trying," she said.

She looked at the Sage again.

"Which eastern island?" she questioned. "What do you remember about it?"

"It was to the east," he said. "That's all I know. Ask the goblins. Maybe they know more."

"The goblins?"

"The goblins," the Sage repeated. "They know the area. They live on those islands. They should know."

"We met goblins once when we were chasing Sephiroth," Cloud said.

"You did?"

"Yeah, don't you remem..." Cloud shut his mouth, realizing it had happened after Aeris had been killed. "It was on one of the eastern islands too. Not sure which one, but maybe someone will remember. Cid might."

"You don't remember anything else?" Aeris asked the Sage.

"I remember lots of things," he told her. "What did you have in mind?"

Aeris turned back to Cloud.

"I don't know if he knows more, and I don't know how long it would take to get more out of him."

"No, this is good," Cloud said. "This is as good as we can hope for, I think. It's not perfect, but it's a starting point, and I think most of us would be more willing to search the entire eastern sea than try to get any more information out of him."

Aeris nodded.

"Well, thank you very much Mr. Sage," she said. "It was a pleasure talking to you, but we really have to go."

"Sorry to hear that," the Sage replied. "Drop in any time and we can have another chat."

"I would love to," Aeris said. They walked over to the door.

"Goodbye" Aeris called out.

"Bye. Come again soon!"

They stepped outside. Cloud let out a sigh of relief.

"It was a pleasure talking to you?" he said.

Aeris nudged him.

"It wasn't that bad," she said.

"Tell that to the others," he said. He could see them standing by the Slipstream. As soon as Cloud and Aeris had emerged, that had started over.

"So, did you learn anything?" Reeve asked.

"He's on one of the eastern islands," Aeris said.

"You mean you actually got some information out of him?" Cid questioned.

"Yes," Aeris replied. "He wasn't that bad."

"Coulda fooled me," Cid commented.

"The eastern islands?" Red said slowly.

"Yeah, it was the best we could do," Cloud replied.

"That narrows it down some, but it's still a lot of ground to cover," Red observed.

"Yeah, what say we go onboard and plot our strategy on the way back."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Cid said.

They reboarded the aircraft and soon were winging their way back to Ifalnia.

"So what do we do now?" Barret questioned as the Slipstream sliced through the air.

"I guess we have to hunt through the eastern islands," Cloud said. "The Chocobo Sage said something about goblins knowing where the Cetra Sage might be. We met some goblins on one of the eastern islands when we were chasing Sephiroth. Anyone remember where that was?"

"I do," Red said. "But you must remember that goblins are indigenous to most of the eastern islands. That's not really that good a clue."

"Well it's a lot better than we had to go on before, now isn't it?" Cloud pointed out.

"Oh yes indeed," Red agreed. "Still, unless we get lucky, it might take a while to find any goblins who know this Sage and are willing to part with the information. It doesn't sound like it's going to be something that get's done in a day. It might be a long drawn out search."

None of them seemed all that happy with the prospect.

"I'm afraid I can't be away from Ifalnia for any extended period of time," Reeve said apologetically. "We're still working on a some major building projects, and I've got to be there to oversee. Also, since the whole Cetra baby thing, the Church of Humanity has been making noises again."

The others looked at him.

"It's not that bad," he reassured them. "Gilan has been careful not to directly criticize Aeris, or speak openly against the Cetra, but he still needs to be kept an eye on. I don't think it would be wise for me to be gone right now. I'm sorry, but if you're just looking for the Sage, you probably don't need me anyway. I'll send Cait with you and if you find the Sage or discover something important, I can always come meet you."

"I understand," Cloud said. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they weren't the carefree people that they used to be when Avalanche was first formed. Most of them were well respected people who had important jobs. They couldn't just all run off at the drop of a hat anymore.

"I'm afraid I'm in pretty much the same boat," Barret spoke up. "I've just got too much work at Corel. But like Reeve said, if anything important comes up, I'm just a call away."

Red lifted his head.

"Same here," the red beast said. "Being Protector of the canyon can be a full time job."

Cloud looked at all the dejected faces.

"It's all right," he said. "You're right. It's not important. At least, not yet. It's not going to take all of us to search. Cid, what about you?"

Cid shrugged.

"Shera can take care of things in Rocket Town, though she might not be all that happy about it. But you're going to need a pilot, right?"

"I'm afraid so," Cloud said. He looked at Aeris.

"I'm going," she told him before he could say anything.

"I kinda thought so," Cloud replied. He looked at Yuffie.

Sounds kinda boring, but I guess I'm in," shes stated.

"I'm sure Tifa won't want to leave Zangan," Cloud continued. "Looks like it's just us and Cid then, unless we can convince Vincent to come along."

"He and Elena are opening a store, remember?" Aeris reminded him. '

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Cloud admitted. "I guess he's out to then."

Damn, it seemed a shame somehow that so many of them couldn't come along, but that was life.

Cloud sat back in his chair. Nothing anyone could do about it. Maybe they'd get lucky and find the Sage soon. You never knew.

Already Ifalnia was in sight in front of them. Cid brought the plane down without incidence and they retraced their path back to Cloud and Tifa's house. As they approached Tifa came out to greet them.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Not too bad," Cloud said, slipping his arms around her and kissing her. "We think the Cetra Sage might be somewhere on one of the eastern islands."

"That doesn't sound all that exact to me," she commented. "C'mon inside. Yuffie," she continued, turning toward the young ninja. "There's someone here who's very interested in meeting you."


	4. Return to Nibelheim

CHAPTER IV

RETURN TO NIBELHEIM

Vincent awoke to find himself staring at a wallpapered ceiling and the sound of birds singing. He stared at the ceiling for a minute. The wallpaper was of a blue background filled with clouds with little cupidlike angels flying around them. Once upon a time the colors must have been vibrant, but they had long since faded, almost to a monotone. The wallpaper had cracked and peeled in one corner, revealing the plasterboard beneath. Who put wallpaper on ceilings to begin with? He had always wondered about that, but the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim was old, older than any building still standing in Nibelheim, maybe older than _any_ building. Maybe that was the fashion at the time.

It wasn't like he wasn't used to it. He'd seen the inside of this building often enough.

He lifted his head, blinking his eyes. Bright sunlight shone through the half open window, the yellowed curtains billowing in the breeze that blew in, bringing with it the sounds of the birds. The sound was loud and raucous. It didn't sound like one or two birds, but dozens. Curious, he pulled himself to his feet and walked over to the window.

The bedroom was on the second floor of the mansion. A huge willow tree grew right outside the window, and perched on the slender branches of this tree was the source of the noise. Looking out, he realized he had underestimated the ranks of his unsolicited serenaders. There weren't dozens, there were hundreds. Or so it seemed. The tree's limbs were weighed down with them, and he couldn't tell where the branches bent because of the mass of birds perched upon them and where it was part of their natural curve. The birds were completely black. At first he thought they were crows, but they were too small. He didn't recognize the species. Some kind of blackbird, he supposed.

He pushed the curtain aside and leaned forward for a better look.

At his movement the birds suddenly exploded into flight, startling him. For a moment the sky was darkened as they blotted out the sun, their shadow passing across the face of the building. Then they were gone, vanished over the roof with not a single one tarrying behind.

Vincent stood there for a moment, looking at the now empty tree. He didn't remember ever seeing birds like that around here before. Then again, he wasn't really much of a person to pay attention to such things, and most of the times when he had been here before, he had spent his time down in the basement.

The basement...

He quickly pushed those thoughts away. He had been down there often enough since his friends in Avalanche had opened up the coffin that had been his prison for almost thirty years. The ghosts were still there. They were impossible to shake. He knew he would never be free of them, but he had learned long ago he could tolerate them, that he wasn't going to let his old memories of the place control him.

That's why he had been down there last night, helping Lucrecia work on the chemical concoction he was to imbibe. The magic elixir that, if all went well, would make him human once more.

If all went well. How many times in the past had all gone well for him? He could count them with the fingers on one hand. Throughout his whole life nothing had ever worked out. Something had always gone wrong. Every time he had thought he had a chance at real happiness, his hopes had been dashed. Why should this time be any different?

The problem with that was, it made it too easy. If he was cursed by the powers that be, if he could never be happy no matter how hard he tried, then why try? Believing things like that could be a self fulfilling prophecy.

So he had tried to believe. He had tried to change his attitude. He had tried to be just a little bit optimistic. It had even seemed to work. He thought he could never love again, and then he had found Elena. She had taught him that maybe there was hope after all. She had stuck by him. She hadn't run off, and she hadn't died.

_If you go, don't expect me to be waiting when you come back!_

He couldn't get her last words to him out of his head. Why were things always so complicated? Why couldn't she understand? She was the one who had tried to get him to see beyond his gloom and doom, to take a chance again on having a life. She was the one who had tried to get him to be optimistic and yet when Lucrecia had walked in the door offering him a chance to be human again, about as optimistic an event as Vincent could imagine, Elena had been the one dead set against it. He could only conclude that it was because of Lucrecia that she had been so reluctant. She was jealous, plain and simple, and that had blinded her to the possibilities.

He had gone over and over it in his head but he still wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. He was hoping Elena would come to her senses, would realize this was something that he had to take a chance on, for both of them, no matter how slim the possibility of success. Thinking about it, he suspected he should have stayed there with her until he had convinced her, no matter how long it had taken, even if they had to talk all night. He had gone about it all wrong, as usual but he had seen her in moods like that before and knew that her obstinance might prevent her from _ever_ agreeing with him, no matter how long it took. Usually when she got like that he just left her alone, gave her time to cool off, but he hadn't had that option this time. Perhaps if he had stayed and argued, it might just have made matters worse. He didn't know. Maybe he'd be in this same boat no matter what path he took. God, why did things have to be so complicated?

He didn't want to lose her. He had thought he lost her once already, on Grouchoon, when she had fallen and they'd all thought her dead. It had made him feel dead inside himself, just like he had in the bad old days when he had first been released from his coffin. If it was really a choice between becoming human and her, he would pick her.

Maybe he should have told her that...

But he didn't think it would come to that. He didn't think at all, apparently, but she hadn't either. She had had no good reason to object, and he knew that. She had only bad ones. Jealousy, fear. She had to come to her senses, she had to see that he had to take a chance here. She just had to!

Didn't she?

How would he feel if it worked and she rejected him, if she wouldn't take him back? He couldn't imagine it happening. He couldn't see her doing anything but be joyously happy if this should succeed, but he wasn't very good at reading woman. Elena was emotional and totally incomprehensible to him some times, most of the time actually.

A couple of months ago he wouldn't even have worried about this, he wouldn't have questioned his own decision, or thought about how Elena felt about it. He would have just gone bligthly on his way, oblivious. Everyone seemed to think his concern for her feelings was a step in the right direction for him, but seeing how he felt about it right now, he wasn't so sure.

He looked back at his bed. He had only gotten a few hours sleep. Lucrecia had kept him up helping with her witches brew, explaining to him the theory behind what she was trying to do though he hadn't been able to grasp much of it. He wasn't a scientist, but she had seemed obsessed. She had still been down there when he had gone to bed.

Obsessed. He had used that word before for another scientist he had known...

He pondered that for a moment. Perhaps obsessed was a poor choice of words. Dedicated might be better. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't picture Lucrecia being anywhere near in Hojo's league.

At any rate, he wasn't tired. He might as well get cleaned up and see if Lucrecia was about. They had come here to do this, he figured the sooner they got started, the better.

Lucrecia wasn't in her room, in fact, her bed didn't even look slept in. She had the bedroom that contained the entrance down to the basement, so he just went right on through.

He wound his way down the stairs. They creaked and groaned with nearly every step. It was a wonder they hadn't collapsed years ago.

He felt the fingers of a cold draft work their way up his arms as he reached the bottom. The dark long narrow hallway. How well he remembered it. Had it really been necessary for her to do her experiments here? The lab hadn't been used in years and years. She had had to bring in all new equipment. Had she chosen this because it was necessary, or just because she was so comfortable with the place. He couldn't see how that could be true. This place must hold as many painful memories for her as it did for him, if not more so. Hojo hadn't been kind to her either, when he found out about their love. He'd experimented on her child, taken Sephiroth away from her. She'd never gotten to know him, or even hold him. He'd turned her son into a twisted monster who believed Jenova had been his mother. Surely she had as many reasons to stay away from this place as he had himself.

Yet here they were.

As Vincent walked forward two doors came into view on opposite sides of the corridor. The room on the left he was well acquainted with. In there still lay the coffin that had confined him for so many years. The door to that room was closed now, and he was thankful. He never wanted to see the inside of that room again.

To his right was the entrance to Hojo's secret lab. The door to this room, once concealed, now stood open. Vincent could hear the sounds of movement within. In spite of the early hour and their late night, it appeared his suspicions were correct and Lucrecia was already at work.

He walked up to the entrance of the room. Lucrecia sat with her back to him, working carefully on a large worktable in the center of the room. It was exactly where he had left her the night before.

He walked up behind her.

"Have you gotten any sleep at all?"

"Well, no, not really," she replied without turning.

He hadn't made any noise. He knew he had a knack for walking silently. He had been right behind her when he had spoken. He had a feeling anyone else would have been startled by his sudden appearance, but she hadn't been surprised at all. It was as if she had somehow known he was there all the time.

He came up beside her. Still she did not look at him, her attention fully on the work in front of her. That didn't prevent him from looking at her, however. She looked tired. It was obvious she had been up all night. Her hair hung limply down around her face. Her eyes were red. She looked so different from the girl he had known. She had aged thirty years. Thirty years while he had been in limbo. She was nearly twice his age now, and she showed it.

Was that why it hadn't worked out between them? She wasn't the girl he had known then. She was old now. Was that why he wasn't interested anymore, he just didn't want an old woman.

Was he really that shallow? He remembered when she was all he could think about, when her face was all he saw, when a simple touch from her could make his day. He had never loved anyone before her. He had been a Turk, he had dedicated himself to his job, and a relationship was not part of that job, was a disadvantage, in fact. Any emotional attachment was a disadvantage. Love was a dangerous thing to a Turk. He had held onto that belief all through his early years on the job, but she had somehow managed to get past his guard. He still wasn't sure how. And when she did, it was like his body wanted to make up for lost time. He had loved her with a passion that burned twice as brightly as any other, a passion that he thought would consume him. A passion he thought would never ever die.

Yet somehow it had. No, it wasn't her age. To him she was still that young girl he had met. The lines on her face, the greying of her hair, that meant nothing to him. He could still see the girl he knew through that. It was something inside that had changed. Something inside both of them. Somehow there was no going back. Too much had happened to them both. They couldn't go back to being that young couple with eyes only for each other. There was nothing left for them to say, nothing they could do. Sad as it might be, there were some things in life that you only got one shot at.

"You should get some rest."

She shook her head.

"I'm almost done. Not much longer and we'll be able to give this a try. You want to get started, don't you?"

He shrugged. It was true, he did, but he didn't want her to exhaust herself. They weren't in that much of a rush.

She glanced at him, but when he did not reply went back to her work.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"For what happened with Elena."

Vincent didn't reply for a moment. She had already apologized last night, more than once.

"I told you it's all right," he said. "She'll come around. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so. She seems to care for you very much."

"She does, and I her."

Lucrecia looked at him again.

"I'm happy for you," she said, sounding sincere. "I really didn't mean to get between you, you know."

"Yes, I know," he said, and he believed it. "Don't worry. It'll work out."

Lucrecia just continued to look at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she replied, turning back to her work. "Once we've synthesized the drug, you don't really have to stay here. Well, I'd like you to stay a few days at least so I can monitor things. If you're going to have an serious adverse affects they'll probably show up in that time frame. It would be better for you to be here in that case. But afterwards, it shouldn't be a problem for you to be gone for a while, only coming back when you need the next dose. Or maybe we could set up another lab in Junon. You may be able to go back and see her in a week. Maybe less."

Instead of immediately agreeing, which she assumed would happen, Vincent didn't reply for quite some time. And when he did reply, it was with a seemingly unrelated question.

"How long will it be before we know if this is going to work?"

"Umm, I'm not sure," she said. "This is an experimental thing, as I've already told you. We really can't set a timetable."

"So you don't have any idea at all?" he pressed.

"Well, umm, it's not going to be quick, if that's what you mean. To completely cure you will probably take months, but if you just want to know if it's working or not, we should have a better idea of that in a few weeks, I would guess."

Again Vincent was silent. She looked at him curiously.

"No," he said eventually. "I'll wait."

"Wait?" she said, puzzled. "Wait for what?"

"Until I'm cured, or at least we know for certain it will work."

She frowned.

"Didn't you hear what I just told you," she said. "That could take weeks, maybe months."

"Whatever it takes," was all he said.

"You're going to stay away from Elena for that long?" Lucrecia questioned.

He nodded.

"Why?"

He shrugged.

He had her full attention now.

"That's all you're going to give me?" she questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"No explanation? You run off leaving Elena in tears. You tell me you love her and here I give you a chance to go back to her and you pass it up, and all you can is shrug when I ask for an explanation?"

He just looked at her for a moment. He had a stare that could curdle milk. He knew it and he knew how to use it. He had used it effectively many times before to cut off any line of questioning, or to scare the bejesus out of an enemy, but somehow, he just bring himself to use it on her.

"She said she didn't want to see me again," he said slowly.

"You know she didn't mean it!" Lucrecia exclaimed.

"Maybe," he replied. "I'm not sure what will happen if I go back. I'm not sure if she'll take me back. She's so hard to read. All you women are. But if I go back cured, or at least certain I will be..."

He left the rest unsaid, though it was obvious where he was going.

"She'll be so overjoyed she'll forget all about how you left," Lucrecia finished for him.

"Correct. Or at least, I hope so."

Lucrecia sighed.

"Very logical, and incredibly stupid."

Vincent just glared at her.

"Call her. Go back there as soon as possible. Don't let it fester."

"I can't go back now. She hates me," he muttered.

"She does not. Don't be an idiot. She loves you. If she didn't she wouldn't have been so upset in the first place. You have to talk to her."

"What if she doesn't want to talk?"

"Well, you'll never know til you try, now will you?"

He just stared at her for a moment. Now she was going to argue with him too? Even after he'd done what she'd wanted? Women! There was no pleasing them!

"Why don't we take this one step at a time," he suggested. "Let's get started on the cure. That's what we're here for right? Let me worry about Elena."

She just sat there for a moment, then rolled her eyes and went back to her work.

"Suit yourself. It's your funeral," she muttered.

Vincent just glared at her. True to her word she said nothing more about it, which was fine with him. He was more than happy to see the subject dropped. He had enough on his mind.

In less than an hour she sat up in her chair, holding a vial of clear liquid in her hand.

"All right, I think that should just about do it," she said with satisfaction.

"That's the drug?" he questioned.

"Yes," she replied. "We're just about ready to get started now. I just have to take some blood first."

"Take some blood," he said dubiously.

"Yes, blood," she confirmed. "I need a baseline. Comparing this to blood taken later will tell me how well the drug is working."

She couldn't help but notice the look on his face.

"Don't tell me a macho guy like you is squeamish about having blood taken?"

"No it's not that, exactly," he replied. More needles. The last time he had been stuck was when Hojo had been doing his thing. It practically screamed of being experimented on.

He held out his arm.

"Do what you have to do," he said.

She looked at him for a moment. It was obvious he was holding something back, but she'd known him long enough to know he didn't like people prying, and as long as he was willing to cooperate, she didn't think it was worth the trouble to try.

Vincent looked away when she stuck the needle in his arm. The sight of blood didn't bother him at all, and it didn't hurt, but still the memories came back to him. The cold steel table underneath him. The uncaring jab in his arm, sometimes a dozen times a day, Hojo's face leering over him...

"Are you all right?"

The memories faded with the question. He realized he had tensed up without even thinking about it. He nodded and forced himself to relax.

She pulled the needle free and taped some gauze over the wound.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

He didn't bother to respond.

"All right. I'm afraid I have to stick you one more time. This time to inject the drug. Pull up your sleeve, I need to get you in the shoulder for this."

He reluctantly pulled up his sleeve. He felt frustrated. He hated feeling like a laboratory rat. He wanted nothing more than to get this over with. Everything she was doing reminded him of all the terrible things that had happened to him here.

"I'm still not sure about the dosage," she said as she prepared the syringe. "That's going to be the hard part. I'm going to start with as little as I can that I still think will be effective. We can raise the dosage later if it isn't doing the job and doesn't have any serious side effects."

"Whatever," he said. "Just let's get this over with."

She nodded, looking at him and realizing he was still tense.

"Just relax, we're almost done."

"Good!"

"There's no need to get irritable about it."

He looked at her uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," he said. "This isn't easy for me. Just being here is bad enough. I spent enough years being a guinea pig."

Lucrecia hesitated. She hadn't realized just what she was putting him through.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," she said. "I hadn't realized what this might do to you. Stupid of me really. I should have found someplace else..."

"This is fine," he cut her off. "Just get on with it!"

She nodded, trying not to take offense at his tone. She had been stupid. She had been so anxious to get on with this she hadn't realized what effect being back here might have on him. Or the fact that once more he was being experimented on. What had she been thinking?

She administered the injection.

"All right, that's it," she told him as she removed the needle.

She saw him visibly relax.

"I don't know what effect this will have on you," she said. "It's possible it might make you quite sick, for a while anyway. Nausea, vomiting, things like that. Or it might not bother you at all. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Yes, you've already mentioned the less than pleasant possibilities," he said. "I'm willing to take the chance."

"All right then," she said. "We're done so there's no reason to be down here anymore. Why don't we go outside and get a little fresh air? It's always so stuffy down here."

Vincent looked around.

"Yes, it is stuffy down here. Always has been."

* * *

"Ichiro."

"Lady Yuffie!" The young samurai strode forward, stopped in front of Yuffie and bowed low. "I knew you wouldn't forget me! How long have I yearned to see your lovely face? It is more beautiful than ever. The sun, the stars, pale in comparison."

Barret frowned.

"Where'd this guy come from?" he whispered to Tifa.

"Shush," she admonished softly.

"Ichiro. What...what are you doing here?" Yuffie stammered.

"I have come for you of course!" he replied, standing up again. "My training is complete. I left a boy and return a man. Now we can fill fulfil our vow."

"Our vow?" she questioned. "What vow?"

"Why, to get married, of course!" he said proudly. "Surely you haven't forgotten?"

Yuffie just stared at him. She couldn't believe he was standing in front of her. She couldn't believe she even remembered who he was. It had been so long since she had last seen him. He had been neighbors. They had played all the time together. He had been the first friend she had, that she could remember anyway. They had been inseparable, but then his parents had moved away, up into the mountains. That had been sooo long ago.

The vow... The vow. She did remember. Right before he had left. He had said he would come back. They had said when he did they'd get married...

"Ichiro, we were six years old!" she blurted out.

"Yes, and I have not forgotten! Through all the years I never forgot about you, or our pledge. And now I am back!"

Yuffie stood there, obviously at a loss for words. The others looked on, most with amused expressions on their faces. It wasn't often they caught Yuffie with nothing to say.

"Ichiro, I...I'm sure you're a very nice person and all but I don't even know you now," she finally said. "Surely you can't expect me to marry you because of some vow we made when we were kids."

Ichiro frowned.

"Why not?" he questioned. "Vowing betrothal as children is a time honored Wutai tradition."

"Yeah, well...that may be true in some cases, but...I can't...I mean...I'm not going to..."

Ichiro just looked at her, waiting patiently for her to actually finish a sentence.

"I...uhh...don't think I'm ready to get married!" Yuffie came up with. "I don't know if I can handle that kind of responsibility. I'm kind of wild, you know? I like to run around, steal things, live the wild life. I get in a lot of trouble. I'm too immature! Just ask Godo!"

"I have already spoken to your father about this and he has given us his blessing."

Yuffie's face drained of all color.

"He _what_?"

Ichiro took a step back, obviously surprised by her response.

"He gave us his blessing," he repeated. "He did say you were wild but he thought I would be just the right person to calm you down."

"Oh he did, did he?" Yuffie said, obviously fuming. "Just what'll I get my hands on him..."

"Lady Yuffie, that's not a very respectful way to talk about your father..." Ichiro began.

"Don't tell me how to talk about Godo!" Yuffie snapped. "I get it now. He probably set this whole thing up! He probably had you hunted down just to do this to me."

"Lady Yuffie, I don't know what you're talking about," Ichiro said. "I came back on my own. My Sensei said it was time."

"Yeah, and Godo probably had a long talk with your Sensei before he told you that," Yuffie said. "I think I better get back to Wutai and set Godo straight."

She turned toward Cloud.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on the Goblin hunt, at least for now."

Cloud nodded.

"I don't understand why you are so angry with your father," Ichiro said. "This isn't some kind of plot. No one forced you to make that pledge, did they?"

"No, no one forced me," Yuffie returned. "But I told you, we were just kids. I'm not going to marry you. I don't even know you!"

Ichiro's face clouded.

"I don't understand..."he began. Then his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Is it someone else? Tell me who it is! I will challenge him in honorable battle for your hand!"

"Oh good grief," Yuffie said impatiently. "No, there is no one else. I just don't want to get married right now. I'm too young."

"You're nineteen years old, the same as me," Ichiro informed her. "That's well within marrying age."

"Yes, but I told you, I'm immature for my age," she replied. "Once you get to know me you'll hate me. I'm just a big spoiled brat. Ask anyone, they'll tell you. Barret, aren't I a brat?"

"She most certainly is," Barret said helpfully. "Though I'm surprised she admits it."

"See!"

"Lady Yuffie, I don't understand why you disparage yourself so," Ichiro responded.

"Because it's the truth?"

"I don't believe it," he said firmly.

"Fine, stick around with me long enough and you'll find out for yourself. Cid, can you take me back to Wutai?"

"Sure," Cid said. "And I can drop everyone else off while I'm at it. Cid's transport company at your service."

"Oh Cid, you mean a lot more to us than just someone who flies us around," Aeris spoke up.

"I know, I'm just kidding," Cid replied. "All right, let's get going." He looked at Cloud. "I have to stop at Rocket Town to see Shera and the kid and make sure everything's okay. I'll come back tomorrow morning to pick you guys up and we can get started on our search."

"All right, sounds good to me," Cloud agreed.

Cid looked at the others.

"Let's move out!"

Barret, Yuffie, Red, Nipala and Reeve followed Cid as he started back to the Slipstream. Ichiro stood there for a moment, then ran after them.

"Lady Yuffie, wait for me!"

Yuffie turned to look at him.

"If you want to tag along fine," she said. "I guess you should be there when I talk to Godo, but don't be a nuisance. And stop calling me Lady Yuffie! It's just Yuffie."

"Yes, Lad...Yuffie."

Cloud watched as they boarded the Slipstream. A few moments later is was in the air. Tifa stood right beside him.

"Well, that was interesting," Cloud commented. "When did he show up?"

"Just a little while after you left," Tifa said. "That sure was a surprise."

"I'll say. Quite amusing though. I can imagine what Yuffie is going to say to her father. I'm sure the sparks will be flying. Almost makes me wish I was there to see it."

"I don't know," Tifa said slowly. "I think it's kinda...romantic."

Cloud took her hand.

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied. "Though it's hard for me to think of Yuffie and romantic in the same sentence."

Tifa chuckled.

"So, did you find out anything useful at the Chocobo Sage?"

Cloud filled her in on what had happened, and their plans. After he was done he looked at her carefully.

"I take it you don't want to come with us."

"It's not that I don't want to," she said. "You have no idea how long you're going to be?"

"No," he replied unhappily. "It could be days, weeks or months, though I hope it's not that long."

"I hope not too," she replied. "You know I can't leave Zangan alone for that long."

"He won't be alone," Cloud told her. "Elmyra will be here."

"Elmyra's not his mother," Tifa pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Cloud said unhappily. He didn't like the idea of leaving Tifa behind, no matter how much sense it made. He was so used to her being part of the team, fighting beside him.

"You'll have the others with you," she said slowly.

"Cid, Aeris and Cait," Cloud said. "That's not exactly a full team, but I guess it will do. The goblins aren't that formidable a foe, and we're going there to talk anyway, not fight."

"Will the goblins go along with that?" she questioned.

"I don't know. If not, we'll just beat some sense into them," he said with a grin.

"That's your answer to everything, isn't it?" she said. "Just don't forget I won't be there to save your ass if you get in trouble, so watch what you say!"

"You'll only be a call away," he reminded her.

"I know, and don't hesitate to do so if something does happen," she said.

"Don't worry, I won't. I've got a feeling we might need the whole gang together again before this is done."

They walked back toward the entrance to Lower Ifalnia, Aeris a short distance behind, seeming to realize the couple had some things to talk about in private. Tifa's grip tightened on Cloud's hand as they walked. She didn't want to be left behind, not at all. It made her feel left out, but what choice did she have? Life had changed, and her main concern was her son. She was beginning to realize just how Shera must feel. She didn't like it, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She just hoped they found what they were looking for as quickly as possible. Ever since Zangan had spoken she'd had a bad feeling about this whole thing.

* * *

_PUBLISHER'S NOTE:_ _I hereby nominate Ichiro for the 2009 Golden Raspberry Award for Most Annoying New Character. God I hate him. The fires of Hell are Pluto on a cold winter's night compared to the burning hatred I have for Ichiro._


	5. Confrontation

CHAPTER V

CONFRONTATION

It was a beautiful day.

The temperature was in the mid seventies. The sky was clear, the bright yellow orb of the sun and a few small innocuous cumulus clouds the only thing marring the slate blue tablet above her head. A refreshing breeze blew from the south, bringing with it the cool scent of trees that made up the bulk of the forest surrounding Ifalnia, trees whose type Tifa still could not identify. It was spring, the flowers were in bloom, flowers that seemed to spring up everywhere in this city. It was the kind of day that Tifa used to yearn for in Nibelheim and dream about when she lived in Midgar. The kind of day to lighten the heart, that used to make all her troubles fade away.

Yet try as she might, she couldn't shake the troubled feeling from her heart. Cloud had been gone two days now. He was gone and she had no idea for how long. Off to the eastern islands with Cid, Cait...

...and Aeris.

She shook her head, her hair slapping against her back. Was that it? Was that what was really bothering her? It seemed hard for her to believe she might still be jealous of Aeris after all this time. She and Aeris were best friends, Aeris had been the Maid of Honor at her wedding. She thought of the young Cetra as her sister. Cloud had made his choice. I know he loves me, she thought. He had told her dozens of times. They were married, they had a child. She had no reason to be jealous. No reason at all.

The deep resonant clanging of a faraway bell came to her. The church in the town square, right in the center of above ground Ifalnia, was tolling, just as it did every day at noontime. She had gotten used to it in the time they had been here. It was somehow comforting to hear it now.

She was just being silly, but she couldn't help how she felt. She knew Cloud had had feelings for Aeris. He had never told her just how strong those feelings had been, and she had never asked. She still hadn't completely gotten over her natural shyness about such questions, but even so it didn't matter now. He had made his choice. That was in the past.

No, it wasn't about Aeris. Okay, maybe it was a _little_ bit about Aeris, but not mostly. It was mostly the fact that he was just away, no matter who he was with. She missed him so much, even when he was home and just went to the store or something. She missed him every minute he was gone. She just loved him so much she wanted to be with him every second of every day.

She wondered if that was normal. Was she being obsessive? Cloud seemed to think it was cute sometimes when she wanted to be with him, but other times she could tell he didn't really want her company. The way he had grown up, he had always been a loner. Sometimes he just didn't want anyone's company. He was always polite about it, but it still hurt a little bit when he pushed her away. It was hard sometimes, but they were different people, and she just had to understand that. He needed his space sometimes and she didn't want to smother him. That would just push him away even more.

She was so wrapped up in her musing that she didn't notice the man walking toward her until he stepped in front of her and she was forced to halt or run into him.

"Tifa Strife?"

She looked at the man without replying. He was older than her, his dark hair graying on the sides. He was staring at her with a piercing gaze. She didn't like the look.

"You're Tifa Strife, aren't you?" he questioned again after her non response.

"Do I know you?" she asked. She had never seen the man before.

"My name is Marlek, but that's not important. I need to talk to you. Your friends are in danger."

He grabbed hold of her arm and started to lead her to the side, toward a narrow alley between two buildings.

She resisted, bringing them to a halt. She had no idea who this man was. She didn't like the look of him, and she'd be damned if she let some strange man pull her into an alley without an explanation.

"Where are we going?" she said sharply. "If you want to talk, tell me here."

He head spun from side to side, his eyes darting up and down the street.

"No, not here," he said. "It's too dangerous. I can't let Yonsin find out I talked to you."

"What do you mean? Who is Yonsin?"

He pulled harder, which just made her more resistant.

"I'll tell you as soon as we're someplace safe!" he exclaimed.

He was nearly dragging her now, but she wasn't about to cooperate without some kind of explanation. Still he was strong. His hand felt like a vice around her wrist.

"You're hurting me," she said.

He immediately let go.

"I'm sorry. But you have to understand, we're both in grave danger. So are your friends. We can't talk here. Come with me. Just into the alley where we're not so noticeable."

She just looked at him for a moment. She felt much better now that he had let her go.

"Please!" he implored.

She didn't think it was a good idea. She didn't trust him, but now that he wasn't holding on to her anymore she felt more in control. If he tried anything funny she could just run away, plus it wasn't like she wasn't capable of defending herself.

She gave a curt nod. Relief flooded his face as he led her quickly into the alley. As soon as they were out of sight from the street she stopped.

"All right, now what is this all about?" she demanded.

"Your friends who are going to search for the Cetra Sage are being led into a trap."

She just stared at him. She had thought he might be just some kind of nut but that obviously wasn't the case. How could he know that they were searching for the Cetra Sage?

"How do you know that?"

"It doesn't matter," he said quickly. "Please just be quiet and listen. The longer we're together the more dangerous it is for both of us. The Cetra Sage is a myth. He doesn't exist. It's just an old legend that Yonsin is using to lure Aeris away from the rest of you."

Tifa didn't know what to think. He certainly sounded sincere but could she believe anything this man was telling her, appearing out of the blue like this?

"Why is he trying to lure Aeris away?" she asked.

"Aeris is the key! He has to get her out of the way or else she'll give it away!"

He was talking so fast now she could hardly understand him.

"Give it away? Give what away?"

"The plan! The whole thing! She'll hear it right away. She'll be able to tell exactly what's going on as soon as Yonsin tries to use...arrrgghhh!"

His scream made her take a step back in shock. His hands went up to his head, grabbing hold of it as he crumpled over. He fell down on the floor, writhing in agony, holding his head, although she could see no apparent cause for his pain.

"What's wrong?" she shouted, not knowing what else to say.

He didn't answer, didn't seem to hear her. He just lay on the ground, screaming in pain. Tifa stood there with her heart in her throat. She didn't know the man at all, but she still felt for him. She didn't like to see anyone in that kind of pain. The cries were agonizing, but he didn't seem to be injured. Whatever it was it seemed to be in his head and she didn't know what she could do about it. She bent down beside him, grabbing hold of him, feeling helpless but barely able to stand his cries.

"I don't know what to do!" she shouted. "What can I do to help you?"

He seemed to have heard her. He tried to speak, but all that seemed to come out was incomprehensible groans and cries.

"Please tell me what I can do to help!" she said.

He lashed out, his arms flailing, and one of them struck her across the face. It stung a bit but she ignored it, more concerned with him than herself. Suddenly his whole body stiffened, his eyes bulging and staring up into the air. He gave out one last choking cry, then fell silent.

Tifa still had a hold of him. She stared at him, barely believing what she was seeing. Was he dead? It had almost seemed an accident, as if he had had some kind of seizure, except the timing seemed awfully suspect. There had to be more to it than that. Could it have been some kind of poison?

She looked around, seeing if someone was around who could summon help, late thought it might be. She did see someone. A man standing at the entrance to the alley, but when she looked up at him he turned and disappeared.

She stood up and ran to the end of the alley. She looked down the street and saw the man walking swiftly away. She hadn't gotten a very good look at him. All she could tell was he had dark hair and was wearing a light brown trench coat.

She ran after him. The way he had been looking down the alley made her feel he wasn't just someone who had happened to glance in out of curiosity. Her suspicions were confirmed when he turned around to look behind him again. When he saw her pursuing him, he broke into a run.

She increased her speed, running down the road, heedless of the looks others gave her. At first she gained on him. She had exercised regularly after having Zangan, and had gotten herself back into good shape even though she still felt she wasn't quite back to where had been before having the baby. Still, between regular exercise and the mako that had been infused in her, there weren't many people who could outrun her.

After the initial gain, however, he put on a burst of speed until she was no longer gaining. Perhaps he was one of the few, after all.

As it turned out, she never got the chance to find out. They had been racing down the streets for only a few blocks when he suddenly darted to the side, into a narrow crossroad. When she reached the corner and charged around it she saw the man just a short distance ahead, hauling himself up onto a chocobo.

"Stop!' she yelled, for want of a better idea. He turned back, glancing at her for a moment. They were much closer now. She could see him clearly. He looked about the same age as the man in the alley. Their features were somewhat similar too, shallow chin and narrow eyes. They could almost pass for brothers and for all she knew, that's exactly what they were.

Unfortunately, if that was true, she wasn't going to find out from this man, at least, not anytime soon, for in spite of her shout he turned away and with a flick of the reins the chocobo raced off, it's plumage flashing in the sunlight. Tifa just stopped and stared, bending down and resting her hands on her knees, panting. She knew that further pursuit was useless. She might have been able to hold her own against a human but she certainly couldn't catch a chocobo. Especially a golden one.

"Damn," she muttered softly.

There was nothing she could do. There was no way for her to follow. She stood up again and started walking rapidly back to the alley. After a moment she broke out into a run again. The man that had been attacked seemed dead to her, but she hadn't felt for a pulse of anything. Maybe, just maybe he was still alive. He was the only one who could give her any answers now.

It didn't take her long to make it back to the alley. A few minutes at most. She turned down it once more and stopped, looking around slowly.

It was deserted.

* * *

"How much longer we gonna wander around this God forsaken place?"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders at the pilot's question but remained silent. He had to admit he wasn't too pleased to be wandering through the woods for hours either. It was a warm day, and the forest around them stifled the refreshing breeze that blew in off the shore on the beach. He was hot, tired and covered with little fuzzy burrs that clung tenaciously to his shoelaces and lower pant legs, a byproduct of tramping through the bushes. They had been here for hours and had run into a swamp, thorn bushes and spiderwebs, but so far, no goblins.

"Are you sure we're on the right island?" Aeris questioned.

"Sure I'm sure," Cid replied curtly, giving her a look as if it was blasphemy to question his navigational skills. "At least, we're on the one Red pointed out on the map. Now whether that's the one we actually visited before..."

He left the sentence unfinished, though the intent was obvious. If they were in the wrong place, it was Red's fault, not his.

Cloud shook his head. He was pretty sure they were in the right place. It looked like the island they had visited before in their search for materia to fight Sephiroth. He thought he had recognized the lay of the land when they had landed but that time they had run into goblins nearly as soon as they had entered the forest. The place had been crawling with them. Yet here they had been walking for hours and hadn't seen even a hint of one. Still, he trusted both Red's memory and Cid's piloting skills.

"I think we're in the right place," Cloud said simply.

"So where are all the goblins?" Cid questioned.

Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know. Do you think they could have been wiped out?"

"By what, or who?"

"I have no idea," Cloud said. "War, disease, famine? It's been a few years since we've been here. A lot could change."

"They were all over the place last time we came," Cid pointed out.

"I know, but still..." was the best he could reply.

"Maybe they're hiding," Aeris suggested.

"Hiding from what? Us?" Cid said, his face showing he didn't think much of that idea either.

"Why not?" Aeris said.

"They weren't shy about showing their faces last time," Cid replied.

"Yeah, and when they did, we kicked their butts pretty badly," Cloud added. "Maybe they've learned their lesson."

"There were a lot more of us last time," Cid said doubtfully.

"True," Cloud admitted.

"And if they are hiding, what are we going to do?" Cid continued. "How can we let them know we just want to talk this time?"

"I don't know," Cloud said, a bit peevishly. Sometimes being the leader could be a distinct burden. Everyone else was always looking to him to come up with all the answers, and he had no idea what to do. He stopped and looked back at the last member of their party, who was lagging annoyingly behind.

"Cait, get a move on," he chided. "Do you have any suggestions about this?"

The big mog/cat combo stumbled slightly over nothing Cloud could see, then walked rapidly forward, in a straight line, thought teetering slightly back and forth. He seemed to be struggling just to stay on his feet.

Caits motions weren't lost on the others either.

"Cait, have you been drinking?" Cid said facetiously.

Cait kept walking, right at Cloud. He stumbled again, nearly running right into Cloud, who had to duck out of the way in order not to get trampled.

"What the hey?" he exclaimed.

"Sorry, this is hard!" Cait said.

Cait came to a lurching halt. Cloud just stared at him. It hadn't been Cait's automated voice he had heard, nor Reeve's light tenor. Instead it had been...more feminine.

"Tifa?" Cloud questioned.

Cait giggled. Giggled?

"Yup, it's me," Tifa confirmed.

"What the hell are you doing controlling Cait?" Cid called out, obviously as surprised as Cloud was.

Cait giggled again.

"She has some news for you," they heard Reeve say from the background. "She came over and we figured the best way to contact you was through Cait. She wanted to try her hand at controlling him, so I put him on manual for her."

"This is fun!" Tifa said.

"Fun? You nearly ran me over!" Cloud chided, though the smile on his face said he wasn't serious.

"Sorry! I told you, it's hard!" Tifa replied.

"It does take some getting used to," Reeve agreed.

"How's Zangan?" Cloud asked.

"He's fine," Tifa replied. "Everything is fine back here. Well, sort of."

"What do you mean by that?" Cloud said, his face turning serious.

Tifa related what had happened to her earlier that day. The others listened intently, a crease forming on Cloud's brow when she was done.

"You're not hurt or anything are you?" he questioned when she was done.

"I'm okay," she reassured him.

"And the man you spoke with was gone when you got back to the alley?" Cloud questioned.

"Yeah," Tifa confirmed.

"So he wasn't dead after all?" Cid said.

"Either that or someone removed his body," Tifa said. "I don't know. Like I said, I didn't try to feel his pulse or anything, but I got the distinct impression he was dead."

Cloud frowned. Didn't this throw a monkey wrench into the works? What were they supposed to do now? He knew impressions could very well be wrong. The man might not have been dead, he might have recovered and left, but that really wasn't important. He was gone, dead or alive. The more important question was, had what he told Tifa been the truth?

There was no way to know that, of course. He looked at Aeris.

"What do you think of this?" he questioned. "It's you they seem to be after, for whatever reason. He said you're the key. The key to what?"

"I don't know," Aeris replied slowly. He could tell by the look on her face that there was more she wanted to say. He waited patiently but she remained silent, just stood there as if lost in thought.

"You seem unsure," he prodded.

"Well, I had heard something," she said after a moment. "Not about me being a key, or anything like that, but something else. Tifa, you said the man that was attacked held his head, as if something was attacking him mentally?"

"Yeah, it was like he suddenly had the mother of all migraines," Tifa agreed.

"Hmmm," Aeris said slowly.

"What? What is it?" Cloud said impatiently.

"Remember when we needed the black materia and went to the northern crater?" Aeris said. "You know, right before we took off in Cid's rocket to Grouchoon."

"Oh yeah!" Cloud said suddenly. "That thing in the cavern that attacked you mentally?"

"It does seem quite similar, does it not?" Aeris said.

"So you think it was one of those creatures that attacked him?" Cid said, obviously not buying that idea at all.

"Or something or some_one_ with similar power," Reeve interjected.

"But we don't know of anyone who has any kind of power like that, do we?" Tifa tentatively asked.

"Wait a minute, wait just a minute," Cid cut in. "Even if someone did have that kind of power, it only worked on Aeris, remember? It used the lifestream as a weapon. She was the only one who could feel it because she was the only Cetra."

"Exactly," Aeris said.

That seemed to catch all of them by surprise. There was a momentary pause.

"You think the man Tifa talked to was a Cetra?" Cloud said slowly.

"That's my suspicion," Aeris answered. "And there's more."

"There's more!" Cid exclaimed. "Why does there always have to be more? Aren't things complicated enough as it is?"

"I didn't get to talk to my mother much while we were captured by Shinra," Aeris continued. "But she did find time to teach me some things. As you know, all of my powers as a Cetra are restorative in nature. All Cetra were like that, but that wasn't always the case. A long time ago Cetra had just as many offensive powers as defensive, but we gave them up as being too dangerous, but there were rumors that some did not. I don't know much about those kind of powers, but I do know they were more of the mental type than the physical."

It took a few moments for the others to digest this, and when they did, they didn't seem happy about it at all.

"So you're trying to tell us the other man, the man Tifa chased, might have been a Cetra too?" Cid said incrediously.

"It's a possibility," Aeris conceded.

"Damn!" Cid exclaimed. "I thought you were the last one! Then we meet Ellengio, then kids start being born as them. Now you think there's more? For a practically extinct race, they seem to be popping up more than cheap taco stands all of a sudden!"

"Like I said, it's just a possibility," Aeris reiterated. "For all I know, there could be some other perfectly logical explanation."

"Right now it doesn't matter if they're Cetra or not," Reeve cut in reasonably. "The question is, what do we do now?"

"He's right," Tifa agreed. "The man said you were walking into a trap. He said the Cetra Sage was a myth."

Cloud nodded. They could speculate on who these people were all day long and it wouldn't make any difference. Could they be on some kind of wild goose chase? Who was leading them then, and to what end? It seemed they were after Aeris. Why didn't that surprise him at all? It had to have something to do with the fact she was a Cetra, that was obvious enough. It was the only thing that distinguished her from the others. What could she do that they couldn't?

Two things came to mind right away. She could detect other Cetra and she could hear the planet. He didn't see how hearing the planet could matter. On the other hand, Cetra and humans were physiologically exactly the same. If a Cetra wished to conceal themself there was no way for a human to tell them apart from other humans. Aeris was the only one among them who could tell the difference. Did these people, whoever they were, want her because of that ability?

It made sense, but there were just too many things they didn't know. He didn't even know for sure if the man Tifa talked to was telling the truth. Again, he could speculate all he wanted, but that still didn't show him the path they should follow. If they were walking into a trap, obviously the intelligent thing to do was to turn around and head back to Ifalnia with all speed. The problem with that was, they weren't going to get any answers that way.

"You said he took off on a gold chocobo?" Cloud directed his question to Tifa.

"Yes," she replied after a moment.

"There aren't very many of them around," Cloud speculated. Since he and his companions had bred one, proving it could be done, a number of other people had tried. He knew Dio had one at the gold saucer, and had heard of a couple of others. Still, it took a lot of time and gil, and most of the attempts had been failures.

"There can't be more than a handful of them around," he said. "It shouldn't be hard to track down the owners."

"Probably true," Cid agreed. "So are you suggesting we abandon the hunt for the Cetra Sage for now until we check that out?"

Cloud hesitated. It all depended on whether they believed what the man had told Tifa. Was the Cetra Sage a myth? Was this whole thing just a big set up, or was there some truth to it? If it was all a lie, then that meant that Aeris dream was a lie too. Was it possible that someone manipulated her dream somehow?

He looked doubtfully over at the young Cetra. The whole thing smacked of the kind of manipulation Sephiroth and Tarkin had tried to use with him. He didn't want to think there could be someone else out there with that kind of power.

"I don't think we should give up the search for the Cetra Sage," he said slowly.

"Why not?" Tifa asked, obviously displeased. "The man told me you're walking into a trap!"

"We don't know if he was telling the truth," Cloud said.

"I think he was," Tifa said quickly.

Cloud didn't reply for a minute. Tifa was worried about him, that was apparent, which was natural, but he couldn't let that dictate what they did. They had to find the answers. He instinctively knew that hiding back in Ifalnia wasn't going to help.

"Even if it's a trap, running isn't going to solve anything," he said. "They'll just try again another time. We have to find out who's behind this."

"So you're just going to go ahead anyway?" Tifa said with a touch of annoyance. "You're going to just walk right into their trap?"

"Forewarned is forearmed," Cloud said.

"Oh that's cute," Tifa replied sarcastically.

"Tifa, I'm sorry, but we have to find out what's going on," Cloud said, somewhat more strongly than he had intended. "We're not going to do that sitting around in Ifalnia. We've dealt with things like this before. You know that as well as I do. We'll be careful."

Tifa didn't reply.

"So what about the gold chocobos?" Cid asked. "What'd you bring them up for if you're going to ignore that lead."

"I didn't say we'd ignore it," Cloud replied. "I just said _we_ weren't going to check it out."

"Well who else can?" Cid responded. "Reeve and Tifa can't leave Ifalnia for the same reason they couldn't come with us, and everyone else was busy."

"Everyone in Avalanche," Cloud reminded him.

"Well who else..." Cid began, then looked at Cloud sharply. "Oh shit, you're not thinkin' what I think you're thinkin' are ya?"

"Depends on what you think I'm thinking," Cloud replied. "If you're thinking I think checking out the owners of the gold chocobos might be right down the alley of the Turks, you'd be right.

Cid sighed.

"That's what I was afraid of," he said.

"Would they do it?" Tifa asked.

"Of course they'll do it," Cid said. "As long as we pay them enough."

"They'll do it," Cloud agreed. "Reeve, can you get in touch with them for us?"

"I'll make the arrangements," Reeve responded.

"Sheesh. Cetra, Turks, what next?" Cid muttered.

"It's not a big deal," Aeris said. "After all, the Turks are going to be off following another lead. It's not like they're going to be with us."

"True," Cid replied, brightening a bit.

"Do you really think continuing is a good idea?" Tifa said plaintatively.

"I'm sorry Teef," Cloud said. "But it's all we've got to go on right now."

"All right," Tifa sighed. It was obvious she wasn't too happy about it, and that made Cloud feel bad, but what could he do?

"I've got to go feed Zangan," Tifa continued. "Be careful, okay?"

"We will," Cloud reassured her.

"I guess that's about it from this end," Reeve spoke up. "I'm going to put Cait back on auto. You take care of yourself too Aeris."

"I will," she replied.

"All right," Reeve acknowledged. "You can contact us through Cait if you find out anything or anything happens. Good luck."

"Thanks," Cloud said.

Cait stood there for a moment, then looked around suddenly. When he spoke again, it was with his usual automated voice.

"Which way should we go from here?"

"I don't know," Cloud said, looking around. It took a moment for him to return to the problem at hand. "Let's try over that way," he suggested, pointing to a large hill protruding above the treetops to the north. "We might be able to get a view of the surrounding area from up there."

"Sounds like as good a direction as any," Cid said.

They started off through the forest once more. Cloud kept his eyes open and his hand close to the hilt of his sword. If they really were heading into a trap, he was going to be ready. Perhaps, knowing what they were walking into, they could turn the tables on their unknown antagonists.

"Do you think there's any connection between what happened to Tifa and the fact that there don't seem to be any goblins around?" Aeris pondered.

"You mean like, our mysterious opponents got rid of them or something?"

"Yeah, or something like that," Aeris answered. "Some kind of connection."

"Why would they do that?" Cid questioned.

"I have no idea," Aeris replied.

"There's no way to know," Cloud stated. "They could all be dead. They could have moved away. They could all be having a barbecue down by the beach. We can guess all we want and it won't do any good."

Cid gave him a sour look.

"All right, all right, there's no need to get crabby about it."

"I'm not being crabby, I just...all right, I guess I am," Cloud admitted. "Sorry, I'm just tired of all this guessing. I just wish there was one fact about this that we knew for certain was the truth!"

They were walking uphill through a closely spaced stand of trees. Cloud wasn't really paying attention to where they were going, he was just trying to lead them up to the top. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dead leaves and underbrush. Aeris looked down at it suddenly as they walked.

"The ground seems a little..." she began.

Suddenly the earth gave way beneath them.

Cloud swung his arms wildly as he found himself falling, but there was nothing nearby to cling to except for Aeris, and she was falling just as much as he was. They tumbled downward for a moment, then Cloud let out a grunt as he hit the ground, with Aeris landing on top of him.

It took a moment for him to reorient himself, then he looked up the sides of a steep pit to see blue sky shimmering through the leaves of the trees above the sides of the pit, whose opening stood about ten feet above them. A moment later perhaps a dozen small humanoids appeared at the top, looking down at them and holding long wicked looking spears in their hands.

Cid had come to a stop in a sitting position against the wall of the pit. He looked up for a moment, then reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette to replace the one that had dropped from his lips in the fall. As he flicked his lighter open he turned to look at Cloud.

"Fact number one," he said succinctly. "The goblins are still here."


	6. Searching For Clues

CHAPTER VI

SEARCHING FOR CLUES

"Stop following me."

Ichiro showed no inclination to listen to Yuffie's suggestion. Instead he sped up to keep in step with her.

"Your father told me to keep an eye on you."

"All the more reason for you to go away," she replied. "My father has enough spies following me around. He doesn't need you doing it too."

"I'm not spying on you," Ichiro told her. "I just want to get to know you better. You told me you don't want to get married because you don't know me well enough. Well, how are you going to _get_ to know me if I'm not here with you?"

Yuffie just looked at him irritably.

"I also told you I'm too immature to get married," she pointed out.

"Yes, and you said if I stuck around long enough I'd find out for myself, so that's what I want to do."

Yuffie glared but did not reply. Ichiro had been following her around like a puppy dog for two days now, ever since they had got back to Wutai. Talking with Godo had done no good. Well, actually having a huge screaming match with Godo had done no good, she corrected. The man was just as stubborn as she was. He seemed to think that Ichiro would be just a wonderful match for her and it soon became obvious that nothing in the world was going to change his mind, no matter what his daughter might think, or in spite of it. She had insisted Godo make Ichiro go away and he had been just as adamant he would do no such thing and that had been about as far as they had gotten, in spite of all the screaming and yelling. She hadn't spoken to Godo since.

And ever since Ichiro had stuck to her like glue. Nothing she said or did seemed to phase him in the least. Even insulting him hadn't gotten him to leave her alone. It was driving her crazy. She should have gone with Cloud and the others. It had been a waste of time to come back to Wutai. She should have known Godo wouldn't listen to reason.

"You're just wasting your time," she told him.

"It's my time to waste," he replied.

Yuffie walked faster, figuring it probably wouldn't do much good. If he hadn't taken he hint yet it seemed unlikely he was going to now, and indeed, he just sped up to keep up with her.

"Look, just because you want to get to know me better doesn't mean you have to follow me around twenty four hours a day! I need my space!"

"The more I'm with you, the better we will get to know each other," he replied.

"Grrrrr."

"And it may be none of my business, but I think you would do well to learn how to control your temper a little better," he went on.

"You're right, it's none of your business!" she snapped.

She was still speeding up as she walked. Now she was practically running, but he stubbornly refused to fall behind.

"Just leave me alone!"

"I don't understand why you're being so hostile."

"Because I don't like you?"

"How can you say that, you don't even know me."

"You've been following me around everywhere I go for the last two days. I already know you better than I ever wanted to! Go away!"

"You really need to learn how to let go of this anger," he said. "It would help you with your relationship with your father as well."

"I don't need any help with my relationship with my father!" she snapped.

"Oh, it didn't seem that way to me, considering how you addressed him when we came here. Have you spoken to him since?"

"We have a perfect relationship!" Yuffie snapped. "We both know where we stand. We can't stand each other! No of course I haven't spoken...why am I telling you this? It's none of your business! Go away I said!"

"I think it would be much more profitable for both of you if you both sat down and talked in a calm an rational manner," Ichiro went on.

Yuffie stopped suddenly, looking at him. What was wrong with this guy? Hadn't he heard anything she'd said at all!

She looked up. They were standing at the base of Da Chao. The carved figures loomed over them, looking down with what Yuffie had always thought of as a frown, as if they didn't approve of what had happened to Wutai. A steep trail led up into the hills.

"You want to follow me? Fine! See if you can keep up!"

With that she turned and ran up the trail as fast as she could.

Turning left at the first branch in the trail she turned to look back. He was not far behind her, gamely racing up the trail behind. She smiled inwardly and increased her speed. She was a trained ninja, nimble and quick, perfectly at ease on the steep slopes. He looked fit, but he had the disadvantage of his heavy armor and sword weighing him down. Perhaps if she could leave him in the dust he'd be embarrassed enough to give up on her.

She scrambled up the slope, so steep in places she was more climbing than running. Eventually she reached a spot where the trail abruptly ended at a vertical cliff face.

She leapt up, and, making use of barely visible handholds, continued up the cliff. It didn't take her long to reach the top. She pulled herself onto a wide ledge, bare except for a minton leaf tree growing on the edge. She turned and looked down. Ichiro had reached the cliff and was coming up. She noted with some satisfaction that he was going much more slowly than she had.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she called down.

Then she turned and ran again, along the ledge, up to another steep slope. She started up that too. She was heading for a depression between the shoulders of two of the carved figures. She had been up here many times before. She knew the place better than the back of her hand. Though there were no marked trails up here, she knew there was a way down on the other side if she could get over the top between the two figures. If she was far enough ahead when she got to the top, he'd never be able to catch her.

A noise behind her made her turn her head. She saw Ichiro pull himself over the top of the ledge she had just left. Damn, he had gotten up there faster than she thought.

She redoubled her effort. The cliff was nearly vertical, and she was pulling herself up again by tiny hand holds. He was making a challenge of it, but it didn't matter. She knew he couldn't possibly catch her. She knew the area too well and was too skilled...

In her rush she grabbed for one handhold and missed.

She fell down the slope, tumbling to the ground at the bottom . With a curse she tried to stand again, but that only caused her to cry out as pain shot through her ankle.

"Are you all right?" Ichiro questioned, coming to stand beside her.

"No, I'm not all right!" she snapped, holding her ankle. "Do I look all right to you? I've twisted my ankle and it's all your fault!"

He stooped down beside her.

"Let me take a look at it."

"There's nothing to see," Yuffie protested. "It's twisted, probably broken."

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

"Owwwww!"

"Sorry."

"Would you leave me alone. If you had just gone away when I asked you to this would never have happened."

"If I leave you alone now, how will you get back down?"

She glared at him.

"I don't need your help!"

"You're not going to make it back by yourself."

He reached down to give her a hand but she pushed it aside.

"I can manage!"

She tried to pull herself to her feet. With a few grunts and groans she finally managed it. She stood there for a moment, balancing with most of her weight on her good foot. She took a step forward, then cried out and nearly fell.

Ichiro immediately grabbed hold of her.

"I'm sorry, but you are being foolish," he said.

For a moment she said nothing, just stood there trembling with anger and frustration. She had come up here with the idea of getting rid of him, and here she was, dependent on him instead, and it was her own stupid fault, not that she'd ever admit that.

Still, it was either accept his help or crawl back down the mountain. It was a long way...

"Very well," she conceded.

To her surprise he lifted her up into his arms. Carrying her with apparent ease, he started back down. She knew she wasn't very heavy, but she'd thought he'd have a harder time than that. He was stronger than he looked.

The only difficult spot was the lower cliff, by the minton tree. They had to climb down, and he couldn't do that holding onto her. He set her down and climbed down by himself. She sat there by the tree, wondering what he was doing.

"How am I supposed to get down?" she said.

He didn't answer. Reaching the bottom, he turned and looked up at her, holding out his arms.

"Jump."

She looked down at him. It had to be a good fifteen feet.

"No way!"

"Don't worry. I'll catch you," he reassured her.

"It feels like it's a little better..."

"I won't drop you."

She looked down at him dubiously. She wasn't worried about him dropping her. She was worried about squashing him like a bug. It may not be that far, but it sure looked like far.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

She crawled over until she was poised right on the edge. He looked up at her, arms out. It still seemed like a long way down.

"Are you sure?" she repeated.

"You just asked that."

"I know. I just..."

She didn't finish, just looked at him.

He waited patiently.

"All right, but you better not drop me!"

"I won't."

She hesitated a moment more, then pushed herself off.

She pushed a little too far. He had expected her to drop straight down but she had pushed herself outward. He had to quickly adjust to get under her again. That threw him off balance a bit. He managed to get underneath her, but when she landed on top of him he fell to the ground with a grunt.

Yuffie untangled herself from him and pulled herself up to a sitting position. She wasn't hurt. She turned to look at her companion.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes fine," he said, getting up and dusting himself off. After he was done he lifted Yuffie up again and continued on his way.

The young ninja kept her mouth shut. She looked displeased, but she didn't feel quite as bad as she had before. She had to admit this wasn't so bad. She could get used to being carried around.

As they reached the bottom of the hill and she saw the town once more in front of her she began to get antsy. She didn't want anyone to see him carrying her. She didn't want to give anyone any ideas.

"Okay, you can let me go now," she said.

"But we're not even to the town yet," he protested.

"It's all right, my foot feels much better," she told him.

"It's okay, I'll carry you the rest of the way," he insisted.

"You really don't have to," she replied. "I can walk."

"It's okay," he said firmly. "I insist."

"I said put me down!"

He didn't reply.

"I said _put - me - down_!"

Yuffie squirmed in his arms, struggling to get away. He tried to hold on but she was pretty slippery. She managed to get half loose and he had to grab hold of her quickly again. This knocked him off balance, and they both fell to the ground one more time.

Yuffie manage to pull free, but pain shot through her foot again as she did so.

"Owww. See, you made me hurt myself again!" she snapped. Why did he have to be so stubborn? For a moment there, she had almost started to like him. "Why can't you just leave me alone!"

He just looked at her for a moment.

"You know, you are a very contrary girl."

"You can say that again."

Yuffie's head jerked around at the sound of the new voice to see a red haired Turk standing a few paces away, looking at them with his arms folded across his chest and a bemused look on his face.

"Reno, what the hell are you doing here?" she barked.

"Nice to see you too," the Turk replied. "I'm here on business of course, Avalanche business to be precise."

"What?" Yuffie questioned as she and Ichiro pulled themselves to their feet. Yuffie stepped gingerly down on her injured foot, but it really was feeling better. She could walk.

"The Turks have been hired by Avalanche to see if any gold chocobos have gone missing," Reno told her.

"Why would they do that?"

"You know, for a card carrying member of Avalanche, you are woefully uninformed," Reno took pleasure in saying.

"Oh just shut up and tell me," she snapped.

Resisting the urge to ask her how he could simultaneously shut up and tell her, Reno recounted how Reeve had gotten in touch with them about looking into people with gold chocobos, and what he knew about Tifa's encounter with the mysterious stranger.

"Well it just so happens that one of the few people who happen to own a gold chocobo is Doro Takana, a rather well known businessman from Wutai."

"Yeah, I know, I've heard of him," Yuffie said, and continued indigently. "And hey, if they needed to talk to someone in Wutai, why didn't they ask me?"

"Don't ask me babe," Reno replied.

"Don't talk to Lady Yuffie in such a disrespectful manner," Ichiro cut in.

Reno gave him a look.

"I see Samurai boy is still following you around," he said. "So when's the big day?"

"What big day?"

"The wedding day of course," Reno replied.

Yuffie glared at him.

"What, does that bother you?" she said suddenly. "Are you jealous?"

Reno snorted.

"Yeah, right," he said sardonically.

"Well, there are people in other towns who have gold chocobos too," she said. "What made you come here first?"

"I had to start somewhere," he replied. "Besides, what made you think I came here first anyway."

"Why would he be jealous?" Ichiro said suddenly. stepping forward.

Yuffie looked at him with a frown on her face, seemingly about to give a curt reply, but then the frown vanished, suddenly replaced by an evil grin.

"Of course he's jealous, he's my boyfriend," she said.

"_What_?" Reno snapped.

"He's my boyfriend," Yuffie repeated. "It's okay, you can tell him."

"I am _not_."

"Are too."

"Not!"

Yuffie walked over to him.

"Ah, you don't have to be shy about it," she said, giving him a wink that Ichiro couldn't see.

"I'm gong to kill you," Reno muttered.

"Wait, I thought you told me you didn't have a boyfriend," Ichiro said, looking confused and angry.

"Well, I didn't know how you would take it," Yuffie said quickly. "But I see now there's no hiding it."

"In that case," Ichiro said. He suddenly pulled out his sword and pointed it at Reno. "I challenge you to honorable combat for the hand of the flower of Wutai, Yuffie Kisarragi!"

Reno just looked at him for a moment.

"Oh get real," he said finally.

Ichiro stepped closer. The blade was now right under Reno's chin.

"You refuse to fight?" he questioned.

Reno lifted his hand and pushed the blade aside.

"Why don't you put that thing away before you hurt yourself," he offered.

"You are a coward!" Ichiro proclaimed.

"Now now, Ichiro, you're so old fashioned," Yuffie said, pulling Ichiro's arm down. "I like that. But there's no need to kill anyone. Just yet, anyway. Reno's ways are just different from yours."

"You can say that again," Reno concurred.

"Besides, Lord Godo frowns upon people killing each other in Wutai," Yuffie continued. "I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with one another for now."

"No we don't," Reno said. "I didn't come here to play games with you Yuffie. I've got work to do. You and Ichiro can play all you want. I'm outta here."

"Not so fast," Yuffie told him. "You're going to see Doro Takana and I'm coming with you!"

"Oh really?" he replied.

"Yes, you said you were hired by Avalanche. That makes this an Avalanche matter and as you reminded us before, I'm a member of Avalanche. This concerns me as well."

"Oh Yuffie you are so pathetic," Reno stated. "I bet your getting a real kick out of Ichiro following you around like this treating you like some kind of princess. Well, you're not going to drag me into this."

He turned and started to walk off, but Yuffie was right behind him, and Ichiro behind her.

"I'm coming whether you like it or not," she said.

"No you're not," he said.

"Yes I am!" she insisted.

"Go away!"

"I'm coming and there's not anything you can do about it!"

Reno glared at her for a moment. . Unfortunately he realized, what she was saying was true.

"Fine," he said finally

"Fine," she agreed.

It didn't take them long to get to the Tanaka residence. Seeing that the Lord of Godo's daughter was with them, they were ushered into the businessman presence almost immediately. At least there was some good to having Yuffie along, Reno had to admit, but when they questioned the man about his gold chocobo he said it was safe in it's stable and he had had no problems with it. Reno asked a few more questions and then they bade the man goodbye.

"Well, that was easy," Reno said as the walked back outside.

"And unproductive," Yuffie added. "So where do we go from here?"

"Dio has a gold chocobo at..." Reno started. "Wait a second. What do you mean we?"

"Just what I said," Yuffie said. "I'm coming with you."

"No wait just one minute..."

"I already told you, this is an Avalanche matter and I'm a member of Avalanche."

"No way!" Reno protested. "You wanting to tag along here in Wutai is one thing, but I'm _not_ taking you to the Gold Saucer with me.

"I'm coming whether you like it or not."

"You are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are _too_!"

* * *

"We come in peace. Owww! Would you watch it with that thing?"

Cloud glared at the Goblin that had prodded him with the spear. The small green creature shrank back fearfully at the look, while the others pointed their spears at Cloud as well.

"Relax, relax," Cloud grumbled. "I'm not gonna hurt anyone. I told you, we come in peace."

They were walking through the forest. The Goblin's had let them out of the pit after they had reluctantly surrendered their weapons. Ten Goblin surrounded them now, with four more trailing behind, carrying their confiscated weapons. It took two of them to haul Cloud's sword, and even so they could barely lift it, holding the handle and dragging it along behind them.

He hadn't been all that anxious to hand over their weapons, especially considering what Tifa had told them. If it was all a big hoax, then how did they know this wasn't part of it? He had told Tifa forewarned was forearmed. Had he just given away their only advantage?

In the end though, he had agreed to surrendering the weapons. The Goblins weren't very good fighters. They trudged along with no organization. Their eyes wandered, they often lowered their weapons as if they weren't paying much attention. Cloud thought that even with the spears, he and the others could overpower them if they needed to. He suspected Cait could take out three of them with just one swipe of that Mog paw and the one's holding his sword weren't far behind him. It would only take him a moment to retrieve it.

Besides, it wasn't like they had had much choice. It was either surrender the weapons or fight, and they would never find out anything from the Goblins if they chose the latter.

Not that it seemed they were going to find out anything anyway. So far, the Goblins had given no indication they had any idea what Cloud was trying to say.

"I thought Red said they could speak our language," he said.

"He did," Aeris said.

"Then why won't they talk?"

"Maybe they have nothing to say," Cid suggested.

Cloud just gave him a look.

"Where are you taking us?" Cloud tried again.

He received no reply except for a few grunts, which seemed to be what passed for a language to these creatures.

Cloud sighed and fell silent, resigned to just going along and waiting to see what developed, even though he didn't like that idea at all. The Goblin's hadn't tried to kill them outright, and had made it clear from their poking and grunting that they wanted them to go _somewhere_.

If they were going to try to kill them, they would have done it already. Or so Cloud hoped.

They were well into the forest. Cloud saw no trials, but the Goblins seemed to know exactly where they were going. They walked in twilight, the trees looming up over their heads cutting off the sunlight. Cloud looked up and saw only broad green leaves striking out in all directions from huge trunks that shot up into the canopy above. He had never seen trees quite like them.

The going had been easy at first. There hadn't been much ground cover, but as they progressed the going became more difficult, at least for the captives. A brown thorny brush soon began to cover the ground around them. At first in small clumps, but rapidly growing ever more plentiful, until now it completely surrounded them. It was difficult to get through, and tore at their clothes whenever they came into contact with it. As they proceeded further it grew higher, until now it grew above the head of even Cait. It seemed impenetrable, but the Goblins somehow seemed to find a way. The problem was that often the way was a tunnel directly through the brush, a tunnel meant for Goblin sized creatures. Soon Cloud and the others found themselves bending down to squeeze underneath the canopy, sometimes even having to crawl on their hands and knees to get through.

Cait had it the worst, a couple of times his Mog fur getting stuck as he passed through a narrow opening, and the others had to resort to prying and pushing to get him through. Soon his fur was torn and ragged in places, and Cloud figured Reeve would have a job sprucing him back up once they got back to civilization. He was lucky in one aspect at least, he couldn't feel any pain, Cloud thought as he looked down at the scraps from the thorny bushes that ran along his bare arms.

Abruptly the bushes let out into a large clearing and Cloud could see that they had reached some sort of village. Huts of mud and branches filled the center of the clearing, and dozens more Goblins, noticing the newcomers, ran over and stared at them curiously.

"Looks like we've arrived at Goblin central," Cid muttered. "I thought they lived in caves."

Cloud nodded but said nothing. Their captors led them into the middle of the clearing, to a hut that was larger than all the rest. In front of it stood perhaps a dozen Goblins, but one in the center of the group caught their attention. He was broad of shoulder and big for a Goblin, bigger than most of the others, but the thing that most stood out about him was the mantle of chocobo feathers he wore over his shoulders.

"Must be the head honcho," Cid observed.

Their captors led them forward and stopped in front of the hut.

Cloud stepped forward.

"We come in peace," he said. "We just want to talk."

No response.

"We're looking for the Cetra Sage," Cloud tried again, trying to hide his frustration. "The Chocobo Sage sent us."

Finally the Goblins spoke. The words were heavily accented, much more guttural than a human. Cloud could barely understand him.

"You invaders."

"No," Cloud said. "We just came to ask some questions. Then we'll go. We don't want any trouble."

"You kill many last time you come," the chief said.

Cloud just looked at him for a moment. Apparently they had made an impression the last time they had been here. Somehow he didn't think that saying they were only defending themselves would be very helpful.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It was all just a big misunderstanding."

The Chief pondered this for an annoyingly long time.

"You no kill no one?" he finally asked.

"No, we no kill anyone," Cloud said. "We just ask questions."

"Then you go?"

"Yes, then we go," Cloud readily agreed. "We'll be happy to go. The sooner the better."

The Chief looked at them as if he didn't quite trust them, and Cloud supposed he wouldn't either if their positions were reversed. It was obvious that even thought the captives had no weapons and were surrounded by armed Goblins they were all still afraid, including the Chief.

"What you ask?"

"We're looking for the Cetra Sage," Aeris said.

Again the Chief did not reply for a long time. Instead he grunted with the men who stood beside him.

"Cetra Sage gone," he said finally.

"Gone?" Cloud said. "Gone where?"

"We no know," the Chief replied. "Gone long ago."

"Long ago? How long?" Cloud pressed,

The Chief shrugged.

"Long ago. Only spoken of in old stories," he said.

Cloud glanced at the others.

"Like a legend?" he suggested.

Again the Chief shrugged.

"Old stories," he repeated.

"But he was here once?" Aeris pressed.

"No, not here," the Chief replied. "On other land across water. That way," he continued, pointing north.

"The next island to the north?" Cloud asked.

This time the Chief didn't bother to shrug. He just looked at Cloud.

"Has anyone ever actually seen him?" Cid asked.

The Chief stood there for a moment, then shook his head.

"He gone long ago."

"But he was there?" Cloud said.

"That is what stories say."

Cloud looked at the others again.

"At least they've heard of him," Aeris said.

"In old stories, like a legend," Cloud replied, not very hopefully. "Maybe he wasn't real after all."

"Maybe, but the Chocobo Sage and the Goblins have both heard of him. Even if it is legend, a lot of legends are based on fact."

"Which might be just what our unknown enemy is counting on us believing," Cloud said.

"So in other words were no better off than we were before we came here," Cid said pessimistically.

"I don't think so," Aeris replied. "We're narrowing thing down. We know where he was at least."

"I don't see how that helps us much," Cid responded. "According to them he's not there anymore, hasn't been for along time. How does that help us?"

"He may have left some kind of clue behind," Aeris said. "We won't know until we go there and look."

"The island to the north?" Cloud asked. "The next one over?"

The Chief just pointed again.

"I guess we'll have to find out for ourselves," he sighed.

"You go now?" the Chief asked.

"Oh, uh, yes, we go," Cloud said. "Thank you very much for the information."

The Chief did not respond, just waved his hand.

"Go."

"Okay, we're going," Cloud said. "Oh wait, what about the Goblins on that island? How do we tell them we don't want to fight?"

"No Goblins there," the Chief replied.

"No Goblins?"

"No. Island sacred. No Goblins go there. All that do don't come back."

Cid rubbed the back of his neck.

"If none go there, how do they know the Cetra Sage is gone?" he questioned rhetorically.

The Goblins who had lead them in now turned and started back the way they came. The talk with their Chief seemed to have allayed their fears some, for they seemed more relaxed, no longer keeping their weapons ready, but they still refused to give Cloud and his friends their own weapons back. Cloud didn't mind the escort this time. He wasn't sure they'd be able to find their way out of the mass of brambles without it. If the Goblins were using the plants as a defensive barrier around their village, and it was obvious they were, they had made a good choice.

Eventually they emerged from the thorn bushes, scratched and tired. As soon as they were out the Goblins turned around and vanished, leaving Cloud and his companons weapons behind. Cloud looked around for a moment as they gathered them up, then started back for the beach and the Slipstream. It was already late afternoon. They weren't going to have much more time to look before it got dark.

By the time they got back to the ship and climbed aboard they were all hot and tired and grateful to get out from under the sun.

"There are a number of islands to the north of there," Cid said as they gained altitude. "How do we know which one they were talking about?"

"I don't know, the nearest one I guess," Cloud said, not very happily. He had to admit the Goblins hadn't given them much to go on. According to them the Sage was gone, that was, assuming he had ever been there in the first place. Even if he wasn't a myth and had been there, what did they expect to find? If he was gone as long as they said then it seemed unlikely there would be any clues to his present whereabouts. They weren't even sure what island exactly the Goblins were referring too. He had to admit he felt like Cid was right, they seemed to have gotten nowhere.

Cid looked the islands over carefully ahead of them, then picked the one that seemed to closest. It was small, no more than a mile or two across, he thought, and was almost round except on the southern side, where there was a semicircular indentation, almost as if a bite had been taken out of it. He slowly circled around it, looking for an adequate place to land as well as any sign of habitation.

"Looks like there's a spot over there by the beach where I can set her down," he commented.

"What's that?" Aeris questioned.

"What?" the pilot responded.

"Over there," she said. He glanced back and saw her pointing to the left. He looked over that way.

"Over where?"

"Right there, down on the beach," she replied. "It looks like some kind of tracks or something."

Cid squinted and tried to look down at the beach where she was pointing.

"I see it," Cloud said. "You're right."

"I don't see anything," the pilot said, "but I'll bring us down as close to here as I can."

Cid landed the Slipstream in a small clearing off the beach, just to the west of where Aeris and Cloud had seen the tracks. They disembarked once again. Cid looked up unhappily at the sun as they did so. It was late evening now, and the yellow orb of the sun was hovering low above the horizon, but it still seemed as hot as ever.

Cloud didn't take out his sword, but his hand hovered by the hilt. There were a lot of things about this that made him edgy. He had seen the tracks Aeris had pointed out. There had been a number of parallel lines in the sand, the kind a wheeled vehicle would make. The Goblin chief had said the Goblins didn't come here, and they didn't have any vehicles anyway, so where did the tracks come from then? He didn't know of any humans living out here on these islands. Was this the trap that Tifa had told them about?

They reached the area in question, but Cloud saw no sign anyone was waiting in ambush. There were a number of tracks, and it did look like it was made by some kind of wheeled device, but the tracks were too close together for it to be a vehicle, or so it seemed to Cloud. They led from what the young warrior saw was a cave and converged on the beach not far from them. He walked over to that point and looked around. This close, he could see that the tracks weren't the only marks left behind, there were footprints too, lots of them.

"Looks like someone was here all right," Cid commented.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, stooping down to examine the tracks more closely. "But it wasn't that recent. The impressions are almost worn away. I wonder what they were doing here?"

"The answers might be in that cave," Cait said.

Cloud stood up again and looked at the dark opening of the cave.

"Only one way to find out,' he said.

They made their way to the cave entrance. The tracks led straight in beneath them. Cid looked at the cave entrance then back at the beach.

"It looks like the tracks were made by some kind of carts," he said. "I think whoever they were, they were mining something."

"Mining what?" Aeris asked.

Cloud peered into the cave. It wasn't completely dark. He could see a faint but familiar glow from deep inside.

"I've got a feeling I know," he said. "C'mon."

Cid hesitated.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go in there?" he questioned. "Seems like the perfect place for a trap."

Cloud stood there for a moment, then pulled out his sword.

"Whoever they were, it looks like they haven't been here in a while,' he said. "If there is someone in there, we'll be ready for them."

With that he stalked into the cave. The others followed behind.

It didn't take Cloud long to see that his hunch had been right. They hadn't progressed very far into the cave before they could plainly see the faint glow of the rocks that lined the wall. They had all seen it before.

"Mako," Aeris said slowly.

Cloud nodded and continued on. A short time later the narrow passage opened out into a much larger cavern. Some of the rocks in the walls still glowed with mako, but it was obvious that someone had been in here cutting out the stone. The walls were covered with scour marks from some kind of machinery. The entire cavern seemed to have been dug out of raw mako.

"Looks like somebody was doing a little mako mining," Cid observed.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. By now everyone knew the dangers inherent in using mako, the damage it could do to the planet. No one used Mako reactors anymore, or made materia. Whoever was doing this, it seemed likely they were up to no good.

"Damn," Cid muttered.

Had someone built a clandestine mako reactor somewhere? Was that was this was all about? But they were after Aeris. What could she possibly have to do with this?

"Aeris, if someone built a mako reactor, would you be able to tell somehow? Like, would there be some disturbance in the lifestream or anything that you could feel?"

Aeris looked thoughtful.

"No, not really," she replied. "At least, I don't think so."

Cloud frowned. He was certain this had something to do with why they were here, but it still didn't seem to make much sense. They were supposedly being led into a trap, so why lead them here? Did their unknown adversary want them to know about this? If so, to what purpose? Or had this all been unintentional? Was someone really using a mako reactor, or were they using the mako for some other purpose, and what did it all have to do with Aeris?

They wandered around the cavern looking for clues, but saw nothing else of interest. Finally Cloud led them back the way they had come.

He was looking for answers, and all they kept getting was more questions.

"So what do you make of it all?" Cid questioned as they exited the cave.

"I don't know," Cloud said, frustrated. "There's just too many things we don't know."

He followed the tracks back down to the beach.

"What did they do with the mako once they took it out?" he questioned. "How did they get it out of here?"

The tracks ended at the beach, fading into the sand, leaving them with nothing but guesses.

"They must have taken it out by boat or aircraft," Cid spoke up. "Can't say for sure because the tide has washed away the tracks."

"So someone is mining mako," Cait summarized. 'We don't know who, and we don't' know where."

"And there's still no sign of the Cetra Sage," Aeris pointed out.

Cloud, engrossed in the latest mystery, had almost forgotten why they had originally come here. This obviously didn't have anything to do with the Cetra Sage, or at least, he didn't think so. Not that he had much hope they'd find anything.

"I know," he said. "We've still got to..."

He turned at the sound of the crunch of underbrush. The others turned as well to see a gold chocobo emerge from out from under the trees of the nearby forest.

"What the..." Cid muttered.

The bird stopped, stared at them, warked, then walked over to stand in front of Aeris.

She just looked at it for a moment, a smile forming on her face.

"He's so pretty!" she said.

The bird warked again in a friendly manner, then nuzzled Aeris hand.

Aeris giggled.

"I think he likes you," Cid stated.

Cloud was the only one who didn't seem amused.

"Be careful Aeris," he said.

"Careful?" Aeris questioned. She reached out and patted the bird. "Relax Cloud, it's just a chocobo."

"A gold chocobo," he replied. "The man who Tifa chased rode away on a gold chocobo, remember?"

"You think it might be the same bird?" Cid questioned in surprise.

"I don't know," Cloud said. "It seems a strange coincidence, don't you think?"

"Well, there's no one on it now," Aeris pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean the rider is far away," Cloud retorted.

Cloud walked over for a closer inspection. As soon as he got close the chocobo warked angrily and pecked viciously at his head.

"Ack!" he yelled, losing his balance trying to avoid the attack, he fell back onto his butt on the sand.

The chocobo stepped away from him, back beside Aeris, and warked pleasantly, nuzzling her arm.

"Apparently it doesn't like you," Cid said, looking at Cloud while he lit up another cigarette.

Cloud stared at the bird, and the bemused expression on Aeris face, though she did not say anything. He pulled himself to his feet.

"The feelings mutual," he muttered.

"I don't think it has a rider," Aeris said. "It has no harness. I think it might be wild."

"Are there wild gold chocobos?" Cid questioned.

"Why not?" Aeris answered.

"I don't know," Cid replied. "All the gold chocobos I've seen have been the result of a careful breeding process. I didn't think it could happen naturally."

"It could happen by chance," Cait said. "But it's not likely. Kind of like winning the lottery."

"I don't believe in that kind of luck," Cloud said.

"You're being silly," Aeris told him. "If it is our mysterious opponents chocobo, why would he let it wander over to us like this."

"I don't know," Cloud said, looking around slowly. "To distract us, perhaps."

He scanned the trees around them, but saw no sign of anyone. She was right, it didn't make sense. If it was someone's chocobo, why would they let it just wander over to them? On the other hand Gold chocobos were almost impossible to find. The odds of them just running into one of them by chance was one in a million, or more.

"I don't think..." he began. Turning back toward them, he saw Aeris climbing up on the chocobo's back. "Aeris, what are you doing!"

"It's all right, I'm just...whoa!"

As soon as she was mounted the chocobo broke into a run, turning away from them.

"Aeris, what are you doing? Where are you going?" Cloud shouted, taking off in pursuit.

"I didn't do it!" Aeris called out. "I can't stop him!"

"Cait, stop that bird!" Cloud yelled.

Cait was closer than the others, near the beach, the direction the bird was running. Cait ran toward it, causing it to stop. He grabbed for it, but it changed direction and easily evaded him. However, the hesitation allowed Cloud to catch up. He leapt on the back of the creature behind Aeris.

The chocobo let out a loud wark to show it's displeasure, but did not stop. It raced down the beach toward the ocean.

"Aeris, jump off!" Cloud yelled, grabbing hold of her.

"No, wait!" she yelled.

The chocobo had reached the waterline.

"It might be taking us to the Cetra Sage!" she said.

It took Cloud a moment to process this.

"And it might be taking us right into a trap!" he countered.

The chocobo turned its head and tried to peck at Cloud without slowing down, but it couldn't reach him.

Cloud glared at it.

"Aeris, this is too risky! We have to get off before it's too late."

Already the chocobo was skimming along the surface of the water, it's feet touching down lightly as if on solid ground. The shoreline falling rapidly behind them. If they wanted to get off now, they'd have to swim.

"This may be our only chance to find him," Aeris said doggedly. "Even if it is a trap, I think the chocobo was only supposed to carry me. They won't be expecting you. And besides, Cid can follow us in the Slipstream."

Cloud looked back and saw that the others had gotten on board and the Slipstream was indeed lifting into the air. Wherever the chocobo was going, the aircraft would be right behind. Cloud didn't think this chocobo was sent by the Cetra sage. It seemed much more likely that they were walking right into a trap, or riding rather. He wasn't sure, however, if he could convince Aeris of that. It was too late anyway. The chocobo was amazingly fast, not surprising considering its color. It had only been seconds, but they were far from shore now, it was receding by the moment. He wasn't anxious to try to swim back. His hesitation had cost him his opportunity to get them off. He looked up and saw the Slipstream approaching from behind. Even the speed of a gold chocobo was no match for the sleek black jet. At least they had some company. If this was a trap, perhaps their adversaries were biting off more than they could chew.

* * *

"Where the hell are they going?" Cid growled.

Cait sat beside him in the copilots seat.

"They're headed due east," he said. "I know of no record of any land in that direction."

"Great," Cid muttered. He had been surprised as hell when the chocobo had taken off. There hadn't seemed to be much else to do but follow in the Slipstream.

He wondered what the hell was going on. At first he thought the chocobo really was wild and had just panicked when Aeris had gotten on it. Now he wasn't so sure. The chocobo hadn't tried to buck her off, and it was headed in a straight line, as if it had some definite destination in mind.

A beeping noise brought his attention to the controls.

"Whaa?," he snapped.

"What is it?" Cait questioned.

"We've got something on radar," he said. "Another aircraft. Coming up behind us _fast_."

Cait turned around, but there was no way to see something behind them. He craned his neck to see out the side window, but all he saw was sky.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Cid muttered.

Instinctively Cid turned the plane sharply. He didn't know who was behind them, but until he found out he wasn't going to take any chance. It was evasive maneuvers until he could assess the threat.

It was a good thing he did, because a moment later a streak of light flashed past the ship and they heard a loud explosion.

"They're not friendlies!" Cid yelled anticlimactically.

They had turned around now to face their enemy. Cid prided himself on keeping up with all the latest aircraft technologies, and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of any ship ever built or even in design. Whatever it was that was behind them, however, he had never seen before.

It was yellow, and oval, shaped very similar to an egg, in fact, though perhaps a bit elongated. Cid could see windows in the front, and small fins on either side and in the back. Other than that there didn't seem to be much else attached to the main body. He couldn't see any weapons, or even an exhaust or telltale signs of an engine, for that matter. It was like nothing he had seen before.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered.

A beam of light shot out from the front of the craft, just missing the Slipstream.

"Whatever is it, it don't like us," he announced.

He put the Slipstream into a gut wrenching climb, then turned the plane over in a loop, twisting round and righting itself, coming down from above at the target that now hung in the air below them. Missiles streaked from underneath the Slipstream's wings, heading straight for the enemy airship. Cid was sure he had a hit, but the shout of triumph died in his throat as the target veered suddenly to the side, changing direction more quickly than Cid thought possible for an aircraft. The missiles couldn't adjust in time, and flew harmlessly by.

"What the hell was that?" Cid snapped. "No airship can turn that quickly. It's not possible!"

The Slipstream was still diving down, and now shot past their adversary. A moment later it changed direction again, following them down. Again, it was a maneuver Cid didn't think an aircraft could make.

More energy beams flashed past the ship. Cid pulled back on the stick, pulling the plan up again, then made a gut wrenching turn, trying to shake their pursuer, but every move he made was easily matched by the ship behind him. Even Cid's formidable flying skills could not make up for the difference in maneuverability.

A moment later there was a loud retort and the shipped bucked underneath them. Cait, who was not seat belted in, fell to the floor.

"Shit!" Cid shouted.

The pilot fought with the controls as the aircraft continued to jerk and twist. One of the control panels in front of him sparked and went dark.

"Damn, we've been hit!" Cid snapped.

The ship turned sharply, and Cid managed to pull them out of the death dive they had been in. They were still going down however. Cait could see the ocean approaching more rapidly than he liked.

The island was ahead of them now. Cid seemed to be making for that. Or trying to.

"Hang on," the pilot announced. "We're goin' down!"


	7. Island of Legend

CHAPTER VII

ISLAND OF LEGEND

"We're only going on a picnic. Do you really need all that stuff?"

"Yes, I really do," Tifa replied, putting a large folded blanket down on top of the food basket, which stood next to the drink cooler, the diaper bag, the stroller, and various other baby items of indeterminate nature, at least to Reeve. "Unless you'd like to come back here and get anything I've forgotten."

"Well, it's not like we're going that far," he replied.

"Even a picnic isn't that simple when you have a baby," Elmyra added. She picked up the cooler and held it out for him. "Here, make yourself useful."

"So I see," Reeve responded, taking hold of the item.

Tifa opened up the stroller, then lifted up Zangan and put him in it. She then stood up and looked around, her hands on her hips.

"Okay, I think that's everything," she proclaimed.

"Let us be off then," Reeve said.

Tifa picked up the food basket and slung the handle over her shoulder. Elmyra scooped up the rest of the stuff, giving Reeve his fair share of it on top of what he already had.

They left Cloud and Tifa's house and headed west toward the lake. Reeve looked up at the nearly cloudless sky above them as they walked. It was another beautiful day though he had heard there might be some rain later on in the evening. Which was fine with him. They should be long done with their little excursion by then, and they hadn't had much rain lately anyway.

The picnic had been Elmyra's idea, though Reeve thought it a good one. Work was hectic, had been for quite some time. Ifanlnia was still a growing city. The meetings with engineers and businessmen seemed never ending. There was also the growing concern about the problem of the Cetra babies, if you could call it a problem exactly. Well, the babies themselves weren't the problem, it was people's reaction to them. He had kept a close eye on the Church of Humanity. Though Gilan's rhetoric seemed to have increased of late, he still seemed reasonably tame. Reeve was kind of surprised by that actually. He had thought if anything would set the man off, human's having Cetra children would do the trick. Was the man just waiting for the right moment, of had he perhaps taken Reeve's little 'talk' with him to heart?

Even so, it wasn't just Gilan. There were other people talking too. Reeve figured it was understandable considering the circumstances. He was asking questions himself, but no one had any answers. Unfortunately, as the Mayor, everyone seemed to expect him to provide them.

And he wasn't the only one feeling the tension. Cloud and Aeris being gone was upsetting to all of them, especially after what had happened to Tifa, and the possibility that they might be walking right into a trap. Tifa tried to put up a brave front, but he knew it was bothering her, maybe even more than he and Aeris mother. Although Reeve had gone with them on their last few adventures he hadn't been in it from the beginning. He had been on the sidelines at first. Well, he controlled Cait, but that wasn't the same as being there. Elymra of course, had always been on the sidelines. Tifa hadn't. She had always been there, on the front lines. She was the one who was least used to this. She tried to hide it behind her smile and small talk, but he had known her long enough now to know it was bothering her a lot more than she let on.

That was why he was glad when Elmyra had suggested this. A picnic might be a good way for them to forget about their troubles, at least for a little while.

They reached the lake a short time thereafter. Things had changed quite bit since the first time they had laid eyes on it. The surrounding forest was gone, replaced by a rapidly growing city. The shell house was gone too, to make room for a bigger entrance to the city below. Other entrances had been cut into the ground as well since then, but this was still the main pedestrian thoroughfare to the underground portion of the city. They stopped on a grassy enclosure by the shore and Elmyra set the blanket on the ground while Tifa lifted Zangan out of the stroller so he could play in the grass. Reeve sat down on the blanket, looking thoughtfully out over the water. It was calm and placid, the surface mirror smooth. The water was crystal clear, so much so he could still see the bottom far out into it. Some things hadn't changed. That was just the way it looked the first time he had seen it through Cait's eyes.

He glanced over at his two companions. Elmyra was taking the food out of the basket, while Tifa was playing with Zangan. Neither one of them seemed concerned with their proximity to the lake, the proximity to the place where Aeris had been laid to rest.

It was good in a way. Aeris was alive, after all. There was nothing significant about this place anymore. What had happened to her had happened a long time ago and had long since been corrected. Maybe they were past that now.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of...something in the pit of his stomach looking out over that water. He'd felt it every time he'd been here, but he had to admit it was fainter now. They'd moved on, and with good reason. He wasn't sure if Elymyra even knew what had happened here. She hadn't been here, and he didn't know how many of the details she had been told, or even wanted to know. Still, he knew they all weren't completely over it. All of them at one time or another had made a pilgrimage to the underground lake, to the gazebo where Aeris had actually been slain. It was still there, almost like a shrine now, and they had made it into sort of a semi annual thing. Even Aeris went there, and strangely enough, it seemed like she was the one who had been least affected by her own death. All of them went there, that is, except Tifa. He wasn't sure if anyone else had ever noticed, but it hadn't slipped by him that whenever they had gone, she had always come up with some excuse not to accompany them. He didn't think it was coincidence.

"Hey Elmyra, want me to tell you your fortune?"

Elmyra looked up from what she was doing.

"Are you still doing that stuff?" she asked.

"Yes indeed," he said, taking out his cards and placing them on the blanket in front of him.

She looked at him for moment.

"If you wish," she said finally.

Reeve settled himself in front of the cards, dealing them out slowly. He hadn't done this in a long time. He had always enjoyed it, even if his predictions had not always been all that accurate. Even so, quite a few of them had come out surprisingly close to the truth. Enough for him to half belief there might be something to it. Yet mostly he just did it for fun, and to see if he could get it right.

"Hmm," he said slowly, pondering the cards. "It seems you've got a handle on a stressful situation, so trust your instincts. Watch for hot tips from friends. You can make gil the same way they did."

Reeve looked at the cards. He never really thought about what they were telling him, just blurted out what they said to him. It was more fun that way, but it didn't always make a great deal of sense. He'd certainly got the first part right, at least.

Elmyra was too polite to question it.

"Why thank you dear," was all she said.

Reeve picked up the cards and started shuffling them, turning to look at Tifa.

"Your turn," he announced.

Tifa glanced over at him.

"No thank you," she said.

Reeve looked disappointed.

"Awww, c'mon," he cajoled. "It's just for fun."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?" he asked.

He looked at her, but she turned away without replying.

"I'll do you anyway," he said.

She turned to look back at him again.

"I said _no_!"

He lifted his head, looking at her curiously. He saw Elmyra give her the same look. Tifa returned the look for a moment, then turned away, looking embarrassed.

Reeve gave Elmyra a puzzled look, but she just shrugged her shoulders. The ex Shinra employee got up and walked over to Tifa. He didn't know what was wrong, but it was obvious there was more to this than her just being upset about Cloud being gone. She was sitting on the grass by the lake. Zangan was playing nearby. Reeve parked himself beside her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She just looked out over the lake.

"Nothing," she finally said but both of them knew she was lying.

Reeve waited for her to spill it but she remained silent.

"Look," he prodded. "I know my fortunes aren't all that accurate..."

She shifted her head in his direction.

"No," she said. "I'm glad they're not very good."

He looked at her for a moment, surprised, and yes, a little bit hurt. He hadn't expected her to agree with him, even if it was true.

"Why do you say that?" he said, a bit defensively. They aren't _that_ bad, are they?

She glanced over at Elmyra, then at him again. She just looked at him, as if trying to convey her meaning without saying anything, as if he was missing something obvious. Eventually she must have realized that wasn't going to work.

"Do I have to remind you that you were the one, speaking through Cait Sith," she said slowly, "that said that Cloud and Aeris were made for one another? Remember, at the Temple of the Ancients?"

He just stood there looking at her for a moment. Damn, he had forgotten all about that! How could he have? No wonder, no wonder she didn't care for his fortunes. Shit.

"Well, I had forgotten," he admitted. Tifa had been right there at the time too. He hadn't even thought about her. It had just seemed like Cloud and Aeris would make a good pair. That's what the cards had said so that's what he had said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm as glad as you are that that one was wrong."

Tifa gave him a rueful smile to tell him there were no hard feelings.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it was just a fortune and didn't mean anything, but I'm really not in the mood to hear anymore."

Reeve nodded. In spite of her words, it was obvious that particular fortune must have had an effect on her. She'd certainly remembered it well enough!

"Ahh, don't worry about it," he said. "It's no big deal. I would probably feel the same way if I were you."

She seemed to accept this, but said nothing further and an awkward silence fell. If she remembered it that well it must have bothered her a lot. Now Cloud and Aeris were off together, with her left behind. He had thought she was only upset with the fact that Cloud was gone. He hadn't thought she might be jealous. Was she, even after all this time?

Was he, for that matter? The truth was he hadn't really thought about Cloud and Aeris being together. He had known they had liked each other, which was probably why he had come up with that prediction to begin with. He wasn't really sure what to think. It was different for him and Aeris. Cloud and Tifa were married. He and Aeris were...well, he wasn't even sure. They had gone plenty of places together. They were a common item. They had even kissed a few times, but it hadn't gotten beyond that point. He knew he was in love with Aeris and he knew she cared for him but he couldn't say for sure if she loved him. She had after all, turned down his marriage proposal, and though he supposed she had had a good reason, at least for her, that still hadn't taken the sting out of it. He couldn't help but think that maybe deep down inside she just didn't really care for him the way her cared for her and was just afraid to admit it to him for fear of hurting him.

Geez, and he had come here to forget about his troubles.

He looked at Tifa agan but she was still looking at water, apparently lost in thought.

Seemed like a drastic change in subject was in order.

"Do you think that..." he began when he was suddenly interrupted by the beeping of a PHS.

He pulled out the PHS and held it to his ear.

"Reeve here."

"Reeve, it's Cid. We've got a problem."

"A problem?"

That caught Tifa's attention.

"Yeah, the Slipstream is down. We've crash-landed on one of the islands."

"Is everyone okay?" Reeve asked immediately.

"What's happened?" Tifa asked. Elmyra, realizing something was going on, came over as well.

Reeve held up his hand.

"Well, probably," Cid responded.

"Probably? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cloud and Aeris are gone. They rode off on a gold chocobo," Cid relied. "We were trying to follow them when the Slipstream was attacked by some sort of aircraft, though it wasn't like any aircraft I'd seen before. It could turn on a dime, much faster than anything I'd ever seen, faster than I'd thought possible. It attacked us and damaged the Slipstream. It's messed up pretty bad. I've already called Shera and she's going to be coming in on the Tiny Bronco with some of my men to repair it but I don't know how long that's gonna take. Meanwhile I have no idea where Cloud and Aeris went. They disappeared going east out into the ocean. There's no way to follow them. I tried getting in touch with them with the PHS but no luck."

"What's happening?" Tifa said, more incessantly.

"How did they manage to end up on a gold chocobo in the first place?" Reeve questioned.

"It just showed up," Cid replied. "Cloud was suspicious but Aeris didn't seem to think anything of it. After what happened, I suspect Cloud might have been right. I think they may be walking right into a trap, just like Tifa said."

"Great," Reeve muttered. He looked at Tifa, almost hesitant to tell her, but she had to know. He explained to her and Elmyra what Cid had just told him. Tifa's face paled.

"So what should we do?" Reeve asked.

"I don't think there's much you can do," Cid replied. "I'll get the men here and we'll try to get the Slipstream repaired as quickly as possible. Then I guess we'll have to search for Cloud and Aeris."

Reeve was silent for a long moment. He didn't like this development at all.

"All right, let us know right away if there are any further developments."

"Of course,' Cid replied.

He hung up the PHS and saw Tifa staring at him, but she didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

For a moment she still didn't reply.

"I have to go there," she said finally.

"They don't know where Cloud and Aeris are," Reeve told her. "The Slipstream needs to be repaired. They can't search until it's fixed."

"They can use the Bronco," he replied.

"The Bronco doesn't have the range of the Slipstream," Reeve said. "It doesn't carry enough fuel to search very far out to sea."

"I don't care," she replied. "I have to do something! Call Shera and tell her I want to go with her."

"We don't even know where to begin looking," Reeve countered. "We have no idea where they went. A search could take weeks. You didn't want to leave Zangan, remember?"

"This is different," she replied. "I've got a bad feeling about it. They're not just searching now, they've gone missing. I have to find them. I don't want to leave Zangan, but...but I have to do what I have to do. Elymra, you can watch him, right?"

"Of course dear."

"We don't have any idea where they went," Reeve persisted. "We wouldn't even know where to begin to look."

"I don't care!" Tifa said angrily. "Now call Shera or I'll do it myself!"

Reeve pulled out the PHS once more.

"I'm not going to call Shera," he said. "She needs to get to the island as soon as possible to begin repairs on the Slipstream. I'll call my secretary and have her get in touch with the airport to prepare a helicopter. Being Mayor has its perks. I'm coming with you."

* * *

"I hope Cid is all right."

Cloud looked back, but all he could see was ocean. The island was far behind them now, out of sight. They had seen the dogfight, and the Slipstream go down, smoke trailing behind it, but by then they were too far away to see if the plane had landed in one piece or not. Cloud had tried to use the PHS to contact Cid, but the device hadn't worked. They were far out to sea now. Either they were out of the thing's range, or it was being jammed somehow.

"I hope so too," Cloud replied, looking back to watch the yellow airship that flew not far off to their left. Like Cid, he had never seen anything like it before. It made no sound except for a low humming, more felt than heard. It moved through the air effortlessly.

"Looks like they've decided to provide us with an escort," Cloud observed. "Still think this isn't a trap?"

Aeris glanced behind them as well.

"The ship might not have anything to do with the chocobo, or might have been following it," she replied.

Cloud thought that assessment overly optimistic, but decided arguing the point would be fruitless.

"Where do you think it's taking us?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "Have you heard of any land out here?"

"No," she replied.

There was no land in sight, but Cloud had noticed that the bird had been turning slowly northward as they went and was now traveling in what Cloud thought was a more northeasterly direction.

"You don't think you can get it to turn around?" he asked.

"How do you suggest I do that?" she asked.

Cloud shrugged. He had never heard of a chocobo that had a mind of it's own like this. Either they went where you told them, or they didn't let you ride them in the first place.

"I don't know, talk to it?" he suggested.

She turned to glance back at him.

"Do you really think that would work?" she said skeptically.

"No, probably not," he ended lamely.

He didn't know what else to suggest. They certainly couldn't get off. They were dependent on the chocobo to get them to land. He was afraid if they tried to get the bird to go in another direction by force it might throw them off. Right now, if they were headed into a trap, it seemed the better option.

They were definitely heading in a northerly direction now.

Of course, the egg thing might stop to pick them up if they fell off, or were tossed off. He glanced over at it. It still held it's position some distance away. Could Aeris be right? Could the chocobo and the airship be unrelated? If the chocobo was supposed to take them into a trap, then why send the airship as well, to deter any pursuers? And if they were unrelated, then why did the airship seem content to just follow them at the moment?

Some time later a dark band of land hove up into view ahead of them. Slowly as the approached they began to make out details, and soon they could both see the white line of the shoreline backed by tall cliffs towering up into the sky.

Cloud leaned forward and touched Aeris on the back. He recognized the land ahead, should have thought of it sooner, actually. It was the only land mass he knew of so far out here.

"I know where we're headed," he said. "That's Round Island."

Round Island, the legendary place where they'd found the Knights of the Round materia. He had almost forgotten about its existence. They had only found it by pure luck the first time. There had been no one there that time, or rather, they had seen no sign of anyone. It wasn't like they had searched the entire island. The mountainous terrain would have made that nearly impossible. In any case, it had been years since they had been here. Someone could have come in that time.

They were much closer to the beach now, would reach it in just a short time. The mountains loomed up above them, their brown peaks exposed to the sun, but the lower slopes were tree covered, offering a good chance at concealment, even from above...

"Get ready to jump off," he told Aeris.

"If it's taking us to the Cetra Sage, I don't think that would be a good idea," Aeris said.

"We don't know if it is," Cloud responded. "We don't even know if the Cetra Sage is real or not yet. We can't take the chance. If it's a trap we'll be riding right into it. If it is the Cetra Sage who sent the chocobo we'll find him without the bird. He's got to be on the island somewhere, right?:"

Aeris did not reply for a moment, then gave a curt nod of her head.

They had reached the beach now, but the chocobo did not slow down. It raced across the sand then up into the forest. It was following no path that their eyes could detect, yet it leaped up the slopes of the mountain as easily as it had crossed the water.

Though the chocobo was moving easily through the underbrush, the trialess forest had slowed it down a bit. Enough for Cloud to think they could safely jump off.

"Now!" Cloud said.

They leapt off the chocobo, falling and the ground and rolling for a moment. Cloud felt branches tear along his arms, and the fall was jarring, but he got to his feet unhurt except for a few scraps. He turned to help Aeris.

"Are you all right?" he said.

She stood up beside him, looking a bit shaken but otherwise intact. She nodded.

The bird looked back at them, let out a loud wark, then ran on, quickly disappearing into the trees.

Cloud looked up and saw the yellow airship hovering nearby through the canopy.

"This way!" he said.

He led Aeris upward, into a denser cluster of trees, where they were shielded from the eyes of those above.

"Where are we going?" Aeris asked.

"Don't know for sure," Cloud replied. "Just away from here."

"Who do you think is in that airship?" she questioned.

"I haven't the faintest idea. Whoever they are, hopefully, we've throw a kink into their plans."

"And what exactly is our plan?"

Cloud looked up again. He couldn't see the airship anymore, nor hear the low humming sound it made. They appeared to have lost it, for now at least.

"Again, I don't know for sure," he replied. "We're not in the best situation. We have no food or supplies, and there isn't a handy town nearby where we can get those things. That yellow airship may be gone, but it's obvious from what they did to the Slipstream that they're hostile. We know they want you for something, apparently alive or they could have blown us right off that chocobo. So we know they probably won't try to kill us out of hand. Still, that doesn't help us all that much. We know we have no friends to help us, and no way to contact anyone. I'm assuming our enemy, whoever they may be, has some sort of base here. I guess we'll attempt to find that and maybe be able to figure out what they're planning. The chocobo was taking us up the mountain. This whole island is an extinct volcano. In the center is a forest that fills in the old crater. The chocobo seemed to be headed in that direction, so I guess that's the way we'll go too."

He finished, looking at her. He knew that didn't sound like much of a plan, but he had nothing else to suggest.

They continued climbing. Cloud wasn't sure how long. Eventually they came up out of the trees. Cloud looked around, but saw no sign of the airship that had been following them. He looked back behind them and saw they had climbed surprisingly high. The beach was far below, and when he looked ahead, he saw that they didn't have much farther to go to the top. The ground was much steeper here, however, and the going became tougher. The sun was fading into the west when they finally reached the top of the ridge. They stopped there to rest a moment, then looked down into the caldera in front of them. It was filled with a lush forest. They could see clear acoss the island from here, but Cloud could see no sign of habitation, no sign that they weren't alone. Not knowing what to expect, they started to make their way down to the forest below.

* * *

"She's here."

Yonsin nodded and looked at the three people who had just entered his chamber, waiting for the man who had spoken to continue.

"She's somewhere on the island, but we don't know where."

Yonsin looked at them for a moment.

"What, did she escape somehow?" he questioned, sounding not at all pleased.

"Well, not exactly, " the man replied. "We never actually captured her in the first place."

Yonsin just stared at the man.

"When we arrived at the island, she rode off on a gold chocobo," the only female in the group spoke up.

"A gold chocobo," Yonsin repeated.

"Yes," the woman continued. "She was at the goblin island, just as you said she would be, but when we arrived her and one of her friends were on a gold chocobo. They rode off into the ocean. Her other friendg tried to follow in their airship but we shot it down. We couldn't risk shooting at the chocobo for fear of hitting her. The stange part is, they came here, to this island. We thought maybe you..."

Yonsin shook his head. A gold chocobo had certainly not been part of his plan.

"I know nothing of it," he said.

"So what do you want us to do?" the man who hadn't said anything before asked.

"Do?" Yonsin replied, staring at them. "I want you to find her! Bring her here, just as we had planned. This doesn't change anything."

"But where did she get the gold chocobo from, and why did it bring her here?" the woman asked.

"I don't know," Yonsin replied. "Let me worry about that. It doesn't matter to you. All you have to do is find her, understand?"

"Yes."

"All right then," he gave them a pointed look. "The sooner the better."

They took the hint and filed out of the room. As they were leaving another man entered and walked past them. He stopped in front of Yonsin but neither one spoke until the three were gone.

"I see you finally made it back Grem. Do you find Marlek?

"Indeed I did," Grem replied. "He was in the city of the Ancients, talking to one of Aeris friends."

Grem wasn't sure, but he thought the normally stoic Yonsin's face paled at that.

"What did he tell them?" Yonsin questioned.

"I don't know," Grem replied. "I wasn't standing right next to them. It wasn't much. He didn't have time before I killed him."

"You what?" Yonsin said, and this time he face definitely registered surprise. For some reason Grem found that quite satisfying.

"You heard me," Grem replied.

"You fool!" Yonsin snapped. "If the others find out..."

"No one is going to find out," Grem said. "Marlek ran off because he didn't agree with what we were doing. No one knew where he went and they're not going to find the body."

"We all agreed before this all started that no Cetra would die," Yonsin said.

"So what did you want me to do, let him tell her everything?" Grem said, and edge in his voice. "I had to stop him somehow. I couldn't exactly just walk up to him and ask him politely to shut up."

"What about the other one?"

"What other one?"

"The one he was talking to. Did you kill her too?"

"No. I wasn't that close. She chased me but I got away. I didn't want to kill her too because I knew that would draw attention to us from the humans. Maybe I should have..."

"Maybe you shouldn't have killed anyone."

"What choice did I have?" Grem countered. He waited patiently for Yonsin to give him an alternative. When none was forthcoming he continued.

"You know if your plan comes to fruitation a lot more people will die."

"Maybe," Yonsin replied.

"There's no maybe about it," Grem answered. "You know the humans aren't just going to sit by and let us do as we wish. There's going to be a confrontation eventually. That's why you built the amplifier in the first place now wasn't it? So that the young Cetra get guidance from us instead of the humans, so they're not contaminated with human ideas."

"Yes, yes, I know the plan as well as you do," Yonsin replied. "And you know that it isn't going to happen in a day. It's going to be years before we are ready. That's why we can't draw attention to ourselves now!"

"It can't be helped," Grem shot back. "We had to stop Marlek or he would have done exactly that! Just like we have to get that half breed Aeris out of the way before we use the amplifier. If you would have just let me kill her..."

"You know the others would never accept that," Yonsin told him. "They don't want any Cetra deaths."

"Yet that's exactly what they got," Grem stated. "Now instead of just the girl, there are others dead. And who knows what else may happen? I heard how well the 'kidnapping' went. Now she's loose, _here_, with one of her friends. I told you you couldn't trust the others to do anything right for you."

Yonsin didn't say anything, just glared at Grem , who seemed to be taking great delight in seeing his carefully laid plan fall apart.

"There have always been risks involved," he said. "We both know that. Unexpected things always happen, we just have to be able to adjust to them. The girl is here, that might be to our advantage. At least we don't have to go hunting for her. She's isolated, she can't contact her friends. Human communication devices won't work here. There is only one human with her. She can't hide from us forever. It shouldn't be a difficult matter to find her."

"That's if she doesn't use that gold chocobo of hers to leave," Grem said.

"Yes, there is that," Yonsin mused, "That troubles me a great deal. Where did that chocobo come from?"

"Maybe they had it on their aircraft?" Grem suggested.

"No," Yonsin countered. "That ship wasn't designed to carry cargo. I suppose they could have fit one on board if they really needed to but my intelligence would have alerted me of that."

"Maybe your intelligence didn't know about it," Grem observed. "Maybe your intelligence isn't as intelligent as you think."

Again Yonsin gave him a look. He didn't really care all that much for Grem. The man was too arrogant for his own good. Even so, Grem was his most avid supporter, and also his most effective agent. Neither one of them might like each other all that much but they both needed each other, Yonsin to advance his cause and Grem to advance his standing among the others. Politics did indeed make strange bedfellows.

"And maybe someone here is helping her," he suggested.

A slight uprising of Grem's brow was his only indication of surprise.

"You think one of the others sent her the gold chocobo?"

"Well, who else could it have been?" Yonsin retorted. "There aren't all that many of them. They came here, didn't they? You think that's a coincidence? Why else would they come here unless they were looking for us."

"I don't know. They came here once before and they weren't looking for us. Maybe it really is a coincidence."

"And the gold chocobo appearing at such a convenient time? Was that coincidence too?"

"It does seem to be a bit much to ask of coincidence," Grem admitted.

"So where else does that leave us?" Yonsin asked. "Surely you don't think the Cetra Sage summoned it?"

Grem smiled grimly.

"I don't believe in old wives tales," he said dismissively. "Marlek didn't have much time to talk, but he might have said something about the island before I took care of the problem."

"True," Yonsin admitted, making it obvious he wasn't pleased with that idea at all. Still, he didn't know which was worse, Aeris friends finding out about their presence or one of their own working against them. It was bad enough what Marlek had done. If the others turned against the plan it would be a disaster.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it either way at the moment," Yonsin continued. "We can only forge ahead and keep our eyes open. If there is someone among us working against us hopefully we can sniff them out. In the meantime we still have to find the girl. I'm putting you in charge of that. The others may not be as incompetent as you think but I know they won't pursue the issue with quite the verve you will. Find her and bring her here, and remember, if the others find out you've killed her, they'll be hell to pay."

Grem looked at Yonsin for a moment, then nodded and turned away. As he walked toward the exit a smile played upon his lips. He found the wording of Yonsin's command very intriguing. He hadn't actually said not to kill her, only that it would be very bad if the others found out. He would do what he thought was necessary, and if the girl happened to come to a bad end, well, he'd merely have to make sure the others never discovered that fact.


	8. Close Call

CHAPTER VIII

CLOSE CALL

"Are you all right?"

Vincent sat in a chair staring out the window in his room. His hands rested on his stomach, his hair hug down around his face, almost obscuring it. He had been sitting there all day, looking out the window, hardly moving at all. What she could see of his face was pale, but that was nothing new for Vincent, who 'white as a ghost' was a normal state for. Still, it almost seemed now as if he had taken on a grayish hue which looked even less healthy than he normally did.

He didn't reply, didn't even stir to acknowledge she was there. Even though it had only been a few days the drug was taking it's toll on him. She had asked him about it but all he said was he was feeling a bit under the weather. She knew it was more than that. He had thrown up in the bathroom this morning. He hadn't said anything but she had heard him. When he did move it seemed to be with half hearted effort. He hadn't eaten more than a few bites in the last two days.

She could offer no reassurances. This type of thing had never been tried on anyone before. She didn't know if he would improve after a while, remain the same, or get worse. She didn't know if his body would acclimate to the drug. She wanted to tell him to hang in there for a little while longer and things would improve, but she didn't know if that was true or not. She had nothing concrete to tell him. She had seen no change in the level of alien cells in him yet. That was natural, it had only been a few days and that could take weeks to see. All she could offer was bland and baseless reassurances and she knew he of all people wouldn't be interested in that sort of thing.

"I'm making some coffee. Would you like some?"

Again he did not reply. Lucrecia prevented herself from sighing. No matter how much she wanted him to snap out of it she knew it wasn't her choice. She couldn't know what he was going through. She would just have to be patient with him. After all, this had all been her idea, now hadn't it?

She didn't want to see him so unhappy. That hadn't been the point of all this. She was trying to make him better, not worse, but there was nothing for it. She had to take the long view that in the end this would all be worthwhile, even though she had no definite proof that was true.

She took a deep breath. He was in a bad mood and what she was going to do wasn't going to help it any, but there was no sense in beating around the bush.

"I have to take some blood," she said, her voice tentative, trying to gauge his reaction. She felt like his life was miserable and it was her fault.

He still did not speak. His face remained impassive. She knew he had heard her, yet for a long time he didn't react at all, as if he wasn't going to. Finally, after she was about to repeat herself, he lifted up his arm, pulling up his sleeve to expose his elbow without even looking at her.

She took out her needle and inserted it in his arm. He didn't flinch, didn't move at all. Nor did he look at her, just continued to stare out the window. It was impossible to determine what he was thinking.

Finished, she withdrew the needle and applied a band aid. He let his arm sink to the armrest of the chair, but did not pull his shirt sleeve down. She stood there for a moment, but when he said nothing and she could think of nothing to say herself, she walked away, back down to the lab.

It had only been a few days, but if he continued like this it was going to drive her crazy. She would have been happier with some kind of reaction, any kind, even if he screamed in horror whenever she produced a needle. Or at least she thought she would. Anything would be better than this silent stoicism, with no hint at all at what he was thinking or feeling, but that was Vincent for you. She imagined he had been the same way when Hojo had been experimenting on him. Perhaps it was some kind of survival mechanism. When everything became too painful, just shut it out.

Still, it might have been fine to use with Hojo but she didn't like it at all. She wasn't his enemy. He could talk to her, tell her how he was feeling. She thought there had been more between them than that.

That was the point though. There had been, a long time ago, but no more. It was like he had said when they had talked, there was no going back. They couldn't be the people they were before all this happened. Too much had changed, including themselves.

She stained and prepared the sample, then sat down at her microscope to take a look. It was painstaking work, but there was nothing else she could do. She hadn't found a way to automate the counts yet.

After about an hour glued to the microscope she sat back and rubbed her eyes, then she got up and walked back upstairs. Vincent sat exactly where she had left him, still staring out the window as if it had only been a few minutes ago that she had taken the blood. His sleeve was still rolled up.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

No response.

By now that hardly surprised her.

"I just did the count," she told him. "The alien DNA structure is down two percent."

She paused for a moment, but he still did not move.

"From the studies I did, any drop of more than one percent should be considered significant," she continued.

Slowly his head turned so that he was looking right at her. She had thought that might get his attention, but even so she was jolted by even this slow movement from him after remaining motionless for so long, but she got over it quickly. She couldn't help but let a grin form on her face, half from finally getting a reaction from him and half from what she was about to say.

"I think it might be working!"

* * *

"I can't believe we haven't found anything yet," Cloud stated, sounding very unhappy about it.

He and Aeris stood beneath the trees somewhere in the bottom of the caldera that made up the bulk of Round Island. They had been searching for two days now and had found no sign of their adversaries, no sign of any habitation at all in fact, not even a single footprint.

"Well, it's a pretty big island," Aeris said philosophically, lifting her head to look around slowly, though neither of them could see very far through the trees.

"A lot bigger than I thought," Cloud said gloomily.

They didn't have forever. They came with no supplies. They had holed up in the cave where Cloud had found the Knights of the Round materia, had made that their base of operations, so to speak. He was tired and dirty and longed for a shower and a clean and comfortable bed to sleep on. And a nice thick steak. They had found a number of fruit and nut bearing trees and bushes. A spring flowing down from the mountains provided them with water, but Cloud was already sick of fruit. Nuts and berries prevented them from starving but provided little else. He yearned for some real food.

He had thought when they first arrived it would be a simple matter to find whoever it was that was after them, but they had seen nothing. Even then he still hadn't been too concerned. The island wasn't that big. It wouldn't take long to search it.

Or so he had thought. Once they had actually started trudging the length of it he realized it wasn't small after all. Now he wasn't sure how long it would take them. Now that he thought about it it seemed likely their adversaries base might not be right out in the open. It could very well be hidden somewhere, even underground. It was even slightly possible their mysterious enemy might not even have a base here at all, if Aeris suspicion that the chocobo hadn't been sent by them was true. They could just be searching a deserted island, and then where would they be? They had no way to get off the island, unless that gold chocobo made a reappearance. They had no way to call for help or communicate with their friends, who had no idea where they were. Ironically, it seemed their enemy, whoever it may be, was their only means of escape from the island.

They had seen the egg airship a few times since their arrival. Most of the time it was far away, but occasionally it passed more closely, once or twice going almost right over their heads. The forest was thick here, however, and they had hidden from it easily. Cloud was sure they hadn't been spotted. He had tried to spy on it sometimes, to see where it came from or where it went, but the trees around them that concealed them so well by the same token made it difficult for him to see the ship. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and fade away in random directions.

"What's that over there?" Aeris said suddenly.

Cloud looked in the direction she was pointing, but all he saw was the deep green of the forest around them.

"Where?"

"Right there. What, are you blind?"

Cloud stared in the direction she was pointing but still saw nothing.

"This way," Aeris said, walking off in the direction she had pointed.

Cloud followed right behind, still looking ahead. At first he still had no idea what she was looking at, but suddenly, as if of it's own accord, the shape of a building resolved itself out of the trees in front of them. He hadn't seen it because it was covered with plant growth. For a moment he felt excitement well up inside him. Was this the enemy base? Had they not been able to see it because it was camouflaged?

Aeris was walking rapidly toward the structure, right out in the open.

"Aeris, I see it. Hold on," he said, bringing her to a halt.

"What is it?"

"Don't be in such a rush. It might be dangerous," he said slowly.

"Dangerous? Don't worry, I'll be careful," she replied.

She continued forward. Cloud was about to admonish her for being so careless, but stopped before he spoke. He had a better look at what was in front of them now, and he realized there was more than one building there. In fact there were quite a few, but upon closer inspection he saw that the buildings weren't camouflaged at all, instead they were overgrown. It wasn't a secret base that stood in front of them, it was some kind of ancient ruin.

The buildings stood around the perimeter of a circular area. Cloud saw that the center was paved with small colored tiles, forming some kind of mosaic pattern. The vegetation had grown up in between the stones, forcing them apart in places and obscuring them entirely in others. Some of the stones were missing altogether. Whatever pattern they may have once made, if any, had long been obscured.

Of the buildings themselves there seemed to be little left. It seemed like there were four of them, one on each cardinal point of the compass. Whatever shape they may have taken was lost now, for all that remained was one or two crumbling walls. Both they and the rubble surrounding them were almost completely overgrown, and it was no wonder they hadn't been able to see the place from any distance.

"I wonder what this was?" Cloud said slowly.

Aeris had walked into the center of the plaza and was looking around slowly.

"There were Cetra buildings," she proclaimed.

Cloud nodded slowly. He didn't doubt her, though he had no idea how she had come to such a conclusion, whether it was some kind of markings on the walls or just the feel of the place. The only impression he got from the structures was that they were old, immensely old.

"Can you tell anything else about them?" Cloud asked.

Aeris stood there for a moment, staring off into space. Then she shook her head.

"Those who dwelt here are long gone."

Cloud didn't reply. There was nothing else around, no sign of their enemy. It was obviously just chance that they had stumbled upon this place. He walked over to one wall to inspect it, not really looking for anything in particular, but somewhat awed by the ancient feel of the place. He wondered just how old this place was. Ifalnia, in its original state, had been old, but had been in much better condition than this place. Perhaps the fact that it had been underground had something to do with that but he didn't think so. The shell houses were above ground and they too, had been in better condition. This place was older than that. Much older.

He pulled the vegetation aside. The wall looked to be made of ordinary stone. He looked closer, inspecting it carefully, but he could see no sign of any glow, a sure sign of Cetra construction. Perhaps it was just too faint to see in the bright sunlight, or perhaps these walls had been built before the Cetra had discovered that particular secret. In any case, he could see nothing unusual about them.

He turned to walk back to Aeris, who was standing by another wall, when his foot got caught between two uprooted stone tiles. He stumbled and fell.

"Oww," he muttered, looking at his hand to see he had cut it on a sharp stone. He looked up at Aeris, but she didn't look amused, as he knew some of his other friends might have, instead she looked concerned.

"Are you all right?" she questioned, stepping over to him.

He pulled himself to his feet, more embarrassed than hurt.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch," he said. "There's nothing here. Let's get on with our sear..."

He stopped suddenly, staring up into the sky at the yellow airship that was moving slowly toward them above the trees.

"Run!" he exclaimed.

He grabbed hold of Aeris arm and pulled her toward the forest, muttering a curse to himself. His stumble had distracted them for just a moment, and it was just their luck the airship would show up at that very moment. They were in the center of the ancient plaza, out in the open. He was certain they had been seen.

He glanced back, and saw that the ship was almost right above them now. He saw that his fears were not unfounded, for they had obviously been spotted. He looked ahead again, putting on a burst of speed, practically dragging Aeris behind him. The forest was only a short distance away, the brush thick. If they could reach it, there was a good chance they could make good on an escape. The airship was above them, but it didn't seem to be doing much. He knew they wanted Aeris alive, if they didn't they would have finished them off when they were on the chocobo. If they couldn't be fired upon, he didn't see that there was much they could do unless they landed. Perhaps he and Aeris could make good on their escape in the time that took. It might be the only advantage they had.

A flash of bluish light suddenly filled the air around him. For a moment his head spun, disorienting him so that he barely managed to stay on his feet. After a few seconds, however, the feeling passed. Aeris had not fared so well, however. As soon as the light hit them, she had fallen to the ground.

"Aeris!" he exclaimed, immediately bending down and grabbing hold of her.

She was unresponsive. For a moment he felt panic rising up inside him. Had he underestimated his enemies? Had they decided it would be easier to kill her than to capture her? What had that blue light been? It had seemed like some kind of materia attack, but if so it was unlike any he had experienced before.

He glanced up again. The ship was dropping down now toward the plaza. It seemed obvious to Cloud its intention was to land.

He scooped Aeris up in his arms and continued to run. He didn't have time to figure it out now, he didn't even have time to check her condition. He didn't know why the attack had affected her so badly and him almost not at all. He had to get out of here, he would figure it all out when he got to a safe place.

He reached the forest and plunged in. He took one more look back and saw the airship had landed before the jungle surrounding him obscured the view.

He ran on as best he could. He wasn't in the clear yet. Though it would be difficult to spot him in the tangled vegetation it was not impossible. The brush was thick about him, making progress difficult, but that would affect both he and his pursuers, so it was neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. The fact that he had to carry Aeris, however, was a distinct disadvantage. It slowed him down considerably, and would make it easy for anyone following him to catch him if they spotted him, but there was little he could do about that. He certainly wasn't going to abandon her.

He turned and headed off in a different direction. They had seen where he entered the forest. Traveling in a straight line was too obvious. He paused for a moment every so often to listen. At first he heard nothing, but after a while, when he had thought he may have gotten away, when he stopped and listened he heard the sound of someone moving through the jungle somewhere behind him.

He changed direction again, trying to walk as quietly as possible, which wasn't all that quiet to begin with. Dead leaves crunched underfoot, and branches brushed against his body as he passed through. There was no trails here, no quiet way to go. He couldn't tell how far behind him his pursuers were, he couldn't tell if it was better to stop and try to hide or to keep going.

Eventually, when he thought he had put enough distance between himself and those behind him, he did stop, crouching down behind the trunk of a large tree surrounded by dense vegetation, someone would have to be right on top of him to see him.

Aeris stirred in his arms, and he realized with relief that she was alive. He looked down at her. Her face was pale, but after a moment her green eyes fluttered open and she looked at him.

"What happened?" she said slowly.

"Shhhh!" he warned, hearing movement.

They both remained still. Aeris was still in his arms, and he didn't want to put her down for fear of making noise. He could feel the warmth of her body against his own. The sounds went on for a long time, coming close enough to make Cloud nervous of discovery, but eventually they moved off. Even so, they remained still for a while longer listening to see if anyone returned.

"I'm not sure what happened," Cloud said finally convinced they were safe. "Some kind of materia attack, I think. Are you all right?"

Aeris hesitated a moment, then nodded. Cloud let her slide out of his arms. She stood up, but still seemed a bit shaky. Cloud took her hand to steady her and she gave him a grateful look in return.

"If you hadn't been with me they've have caught me for sure," she said.

"No problem," he said modestly. "I think I was just lucky. It made me a little dizzy but that was all. Perhaps it just didn't hit me as squarely as you, whatever it was."

They started off once more, Cloud leading the way, walking cautiously and stopping every so often to look around and listen. A while later they heard the hum of the airship above them and stopped, fearing they had been found once again, but the sound soon faded away without them seeing anything.

Eventually they made it back to the sanctuary of the materia cave. Aeris stumbled slightly as they entered, apparently still feeling the effects of whatever they had been attacked by.

Cloud helped her over to a cool sandy spot where she could sit down.

"Thank you," she said, looking up at him and smiling. "I guess you're still my bodyguard."

Cloud smiled in return, but the smile soon faded. Reminding him of that also reminded him of how he had failed, even though he realized now there wasn't really much he could have done about it. Still, it did bring back memories he wasn't all that fond of recalling.

For a long time he didn't say anything at all.

"Aeris..." he finally said slowly.

"Yes?"

"I've always kind of wondered something," he said somewhat tentatively. He wasn't sure she wanted to bring up these memories anymore than he. "About what happened back then."

He looked at her, but she just sat there waiting patiently for him to continue. She didn't seem to be bothered.

"Why did you leave us?" he finally asked, sitting down beside her. "Why did you go to face Sephiroth by yourself?"

Aeris just sat there for a moment before answering.

"I didn't go to face Sephiroth," she eventually said. "I went to pray for Holy. I thought I could stop Sephiroth that way. I thought it was the _only_ way."

"But why did you go by yourself?" Cloud questioned. "Why didn't you tell us? We traveled all that way together, all of us as a team. We were there for each other, to watch each other's back, and then you run off on your own..."

Aeris looked at him for a moment, somewhat surprised. It was obvious what she had done had affected him more than she thought, even after all this time. She could tell by the tone of his voice he was troubled by her actions.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just thought I could end it by myself, without risking anyone else, without anyone else getting hurt. You all became too important to me. I didn't want to see anything happen to any of you."

"And we didn't want anything to happen you either," Cloud replied.

She looked at him and smiled.

"I know," she said, taking his hand. He immediately jerked it back away from her. She looked at him in surprise, but then saw the look of pain on his face as he looked at his hand. She remembered that was hand he had cut when he fell.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I didn't realize your hand still hurt. Here, let me see it."

"It's just a scratch," Cloud said slowly, and it was, but it still hurt. In fact, it hurt a lot more now than it had before. He hadn't really thought of it because of all that had happened them, but now he realized it was throbbing. It was just a little cut, however, and he had just assumed it was nothing.

"It's not really that bad," he continued, but Aeris just looked out him, holding out her own hand.

Giving in, he let her take his hand again, and this time she held it much more gingerly. Cloud was right, it wasn't a large cut, and it didn't appear very deep, but it had a reddish tinge around the edges that Aeris didn't like the look of.

She closed her eyes, concentrating. A moment later a feeling of contentment stole over her and she felt the refreshing cool breeze that was the trademark of her healing power wash over her. Cloud felt it too, and waited expectantly for the pain to subside.

Only it didn't.

Aeris opened her eyes again. They both looked down at the cut on Cloud's hand, which looked completely unchanged.

Aeris frowned.

"I don't understand," she said slowly.

It didn't work. The cut was still open, the same as before. She could still see the pain in Cloud's eyes, but how could that be? Her powers _always_ worked.

"Let me try again," she said.

She repeated the process, this time concentrating fiercely, but again to no avail.

"It can't be," she stated, obviously upset.

"It's all right," Cloud reassured her.

"No it's not," she countered. "It's just a little cut. It should work. Have I lost my abilities?"

Cloud didn't reply. Perhaps that bluish light had had a more profound and subtle effect on her than just knocking her unconscious. Was that what she was thinking?

"I'm sure you haven't lost your abilities," he reassured her. "It's probably just some weird fluke thing."

Aeris did not seem at all appeased by his reassurance. She looked around, as if looking for something else to test herself with, but they had no other injuries.

"You don't know that," she said finally, sounding more upset than ever. "You don't know what that did to me. They're Cetra Cloud. I can feel it."

Cloud looked at her in surprise. She hadn't said anything like that before.

"Are you sure?"

"I felt it before, when I first awoke," she admitted. "Whoever was pursing us, they weren't that far away. I could feel a Cetra presence. I'm sure of it."

Cloud didn't reply for some time. If she had felt them, it was a lucky thing they hadn't felt her, perhaps because she was half human. He nodded slowly.

"Even so, it doesn't really change anything," he said eventually.

"It's my own people, and they're after me, and I don't know why," Aeris continued. "I don't understand Cloud. What have I done to them?"

Cloud just looked at her for a moment. She seemed truly shaken, not at all like the Aeris he knew, who seemed to take just about any occurrence, no matter who odd, in stride. Now she seemed almost to be in tears.

"It's okay," he said, putting his good hand on her shoulder. "It's not you. You've done nothing wrong Aeris. I don't' know what's going on either, but I'm sure we'll find out. I'm sure there's some logical explanation."

"They're doing something bad," Aeris told him. "I don't know what, but its bad. I just know it."

He couldn't argue with her. Even without any special sense it was obvious these people were up to no good. If they really were Cetra, where did they come from? Or had they been here all the time, hiding? Whoever they were they had obviously deliberately concealed themselves from human society all this time. He wondered how many of them there were. Could there be another underground city here on the island, like Ifalnia, only might this one be populated? He couldn't imagine a whole city of Cetra being here. hiding for so long. He suspected it was only a few, but of course he had no proof.

Right now that wasn't important. He had to get Aeris to pull herself together.

"Even if they are, we'll straighten it all out. If some of them are up to no good, we'll stop them, but even if some are, that doesn't mean they all are."

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "It seems like every time we find some people of my race they're plotting something. What if my powers are gone for good?"

"We don't even know for sure if they're gone at all," Cloud responded.

"But what if they are?" she exclaimed. "My ability to heal people is part of me. It's part of what makes me what I am. What am I without that?"

"Aeris, calm down," he said, pulling her closer to him. "It's okay, you haven't lost your powers."

"But how do you know?"

"I just _do_, okay?"

She looked at him for a moment, then, to his surprise, rested her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know I'm not usually like this. I'm just...scared I guess. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. My healing powers are so much a part of me that I don't know what I'd do if I lost them. When I went to pray for Holy I was scared too, a little. I knew it was dangerous, but I guess I really didn't believe Sephiroth would find me, so it wasn't that bad. I know it might sound strange that I'm more afraid of losing my powers than dying, but that's the way it is."

"No, that's okay, I understand," Cloud told her. "I know what its like to lose a part of yourself, to not know who you are, to know something is missing."

Aeris nodded her head but did not reply. He looked down at her. For some reason he was reminded of when they'd first met, his abrupt fall into the middle of her church, and her life. He remembered seeing her face, the first thing he saw when he awoke. Those big green eyes. She had seemed so childlike at times, and at others more mature than anyone he had ever known. She had been an enigma. Still was, in fact. She had been so fragile and yet at times so strong. There had been a sadness about her, even though she tried to put up a cheerful front. She had been like a breath of fresh air in the stagnant slums of Midgar, her and her flowers. She was bright, cheerful, sympathetic.

And beautiful.

That gave him pause. Why was he thinking that? She _was_ beautiful, there was no denying that, and there was an attraction between them, or had been. There was no denying that either. He felt suddenly guilty. Still, he didn't know why. He was holding Aeris because she had been distressed, because she was afraid and he wanted to comfort her. It was nothing more than that.

Wasn't it?

He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. Aeris lifted her head and looked at him.

"You all right now?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Okay, I guess we better get on our way then," he said. "They're probably still searching for us and might come back to this area. It might be best if we headed back to the cave. We'll continue searching tomorrow."

Warily they made their way back to the cave. They saw no more sign of their pursuers, and by the time they reached the cave the tension had eased and Aeris seemed to be in much better spirits. Cloud, however, didn't feel much better at all. In fact, he felt worse. His hand still throbbed, and, if anything, the pain had increased. Beyond that, it seemed to be spreading. Before it had only been his hand that hurt, now the pain had crawled up to his elbow. He assumed that wasn't a good sign. Nevertheless, he didn't say anything to Aeris. He didn't want to worry her, especially if there was nothing she could do about it. He was disappointed, to say the least, that her healing powers hadn't worked. It was a random cut, and he didn't see how it could have anything to do with their pursuers, but somehow he thought their might be some connection. It seemed more than coincidence that they were being chased by the Cetra and Aeris' Cetra powers hadn't worked. She could very well be right in her presumption that the strange blue light had done something to her, hopefully temporarily, but of course he wasn't going to say that to her.

At any rate, as the day progressed he began to feel worse and worse. By the time night fell the pain radiated up his entire arm and he felt feverish. By then he was starting to get really worried. He wasn't sure what the problem was. It seemed like some kind of infection, but he didn't think infections traveled that fast. Poison perhaps? He had cut his hand on a rock. What kind of poison could possibly be there? Whatever it was, it was obviously serious. There was no doctor here, and with Aeris' powers on the fritz and no materia, the situation could become bleak very quickly.

"Are you all right?" Aeris asked. He saw she was looking at him closely. "You look pale."

He decided there was no point in concealing it any longer. It was obvious this wasn't going to go away on it's own, not anytime soon, anyway. She was going to find out one way or another.

"No," he said. He explained how his arm felt and she immediately came over to him, filled with concern. She inspected his arm. The cut seemed to be healing normally enough, but there were faint red streaks running up his arm and it was swollen and painful even under Aeris light touch.

"You should have said something sooner," she admonished.

"Well, I didn't want to worry you," Cloud responded. "Especially since there's nothing you can do."

He hadn't really wanted to remind her of that, but she seemed unfazed, more concerned with him now than herself.

"Just because I can't use my healing power doesn't mean I can't do _anything_," she said. "I know a few things about healing besides that, you know. There are some common herbs that can be used to reduce pain and swelling. I'll go out and see if I can find some."

Cloud was not at all thrilled with the idea of her wandering around outside. Of course it was his sword arm that was injured, just his luck. Right now he knew he would be useless in a fight.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he queried.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

In spite of her words he did worry, but it wasn't all that long before she returned, arms laden with greenery. There was a trickle of water near the back of the cave, and she sat down beside that, washing the plants and then mashing some up with a rock and mixing them. Eventually she came over to him and applied her poultice to his arm. To his surprise and great relief, the pain lessened immediately. He looked up at her.

"That's much better, thank you." He hadn't known she'd had such talents. He supposed it made sense that he didn't, after all between her healing powers and their materia she had never had to resort to such mundane healing techniques.

"It's getting late," Aeris said, sitting down wearily beside him. "Get some rest. I'm not sure how much that will help but hopefully you'll feel better in the morning."

Cloud tried to make himself comfortable. Now that she had mentioned it, he did feel bone tired.

"Yes mother," he said.

Aeris looked at him and smiled, but said nothing. She laid herself down just a short distance away. In spite of the fact that the pain had lessened, his mind was still filled with worry. The herbs Aeris had applied to his arm helped, but that didn't guarantee they would cure him. They had yet to find out anything about their pursuers except that they were Cetra. They were still alone and cut off from all contact with the outside world, with little food and water. Things didn't look good at all. Nevertheless, he felt sleep overcoming him, and he didn't fight it. Hopefully, as Aeris had said, things would be better in the morning.


	9. A Desperate Decision

CHAPTER IX

A DESPERATE DECISION

The rain came down softly. The cave was surrounded by deep forest and the canopy of leaves above Aeris head partially shielded her from the shower. Partially but not completely. Her hair was limp with moisture and she could feel the wetness of her dress around her shoulders. It was not very comfortable, but she remained where she was, on her knees sifting carefully through the plants not far from the cave entrance, trying to find the ones she needed.

It had been raining since late last night. Not hard, but steady. Aeris wasn't sure exactly when it had started. She had woken up during the night to hear the soft patter of drops through the leaves outside. She wasn't sure what exactly had awoken her. Not the rain surely. She had looked over at Cloud, thinking perhaps it had been him. He had been restless earlier in the night, but when she looked he was quiet. She had lifted her head and looked around, but had seen nothing out of the ordinary. Too tired to worry about it, she had gone back to sleep.

She had hoped Cloud would feel better in the morning, but that hadn't been the case. If anything, he seemed worse. Though the pain in his hand had lessened, he had a fever. When he tried to get up he could barely stand. She had made him rest, telling him it would pass, but inwardly she was concerned. She had never encountered anything quite like this. The wound on his hand had been small. It was closed now, should be well on its way to healing, but his arm was still red and inflamed. He couldn't use it at all. There was obviously something seriously wrong, something her herbs, though they could lessen the symptoms, could not heal. Not quickly anyway. It seemed it would be some time before he recovered, if he recovered at all. She didn't want to think about that, but she had no choice. What would she do if his condition continued to worsen?

She didn't know. She could only hope that her poultice would eventually work. He was weak, but he didn't seem on deaths doorstep quite yet. Given some time he could still recover.

Of course this did put a crimp in their search for their adversary. Cloud was in no condition to walk, much less wander around the island, and if they ran into their pursuers he obviously wouldn't be able to fight. Their goal had narrowed from actively seeking out the enemy to just surviving, but she wasn't sure how long that could continue. Things just seemed to be going from bad to worse.

She managed to find a few green stalks of the plant she was looking for. Gathering them up she stood up again, satisfied that she had enough.

There wasn't any point in worrying about it. She didn't know what the future held. They'd get by, somehow.

She walked back to the cave. Cloud lay near a small fire where she had left him. The air was damp and cool, and she wanted to keep him warm. She sat down by the fire, dropping her herbs beside her.

"You shouldn't go out in the rain like that Aeris," Cloud said. "You're all wet."

She shrugged, sorting through the plants she had collected.

"We needed more of these herbs," she replied. "They have to be reapplied periodically if they're going to do any good."

Cloud nodded. He wasn't happy with his condition. He wasn't happy seeing Aeris out in the wet, exposed to potential enemies, to try to help him. He was mad, in fact. Mad at himself for getting in this condition, for being so clumsy. Yes, he knew it was silly, but he couldn't help the way he felt. They were supposed to be looking for their enemy. They didn't have forever. It was only a matter of time before their pursuers found them, or they starved to death. Instead of being helpful he had turned into a hindrance. Not only couldn't he search but Aeris had to waste time taking care of him. Here she was, out in the rain, finding herbs to make him feel better, taking a chance on getting sick herself. And all the time the clock was ticking.

He smacked his hand against the ground beside him in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Aeris questioned, noting the look on his face.

He didn't reply for a moment. Just looked at her. Then he sighed.

"Nothing," he said. "Well, nothing we can do anything about. I'm just sorry I got you into this."

"You didn't get me into anything," Aeris replied. "I was the one who got you into it, if you remember. I was the one who got on the gold chocobo. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me."

"No, don't say that," he responded. "It wasn't anyone's fault, I guess. You were doing what you thought was best. Besides, you didn't drag me onto the bird, I jumped on of my own free will."

"You were doing it to try to protect me," she said.

He couldn't deny that. He stared off at the far wall for some time.

"I'm just frustrated, that's all," he finally said. "All these bad things are happening. When are we going to have some good luck?"

Aeris didn't have an answer for that. She shivered. She was sitting right next to the fire but she was still wet and cold. The problem with the fire was no matter how she sat there was always a part of her that was facing away from it. She wished she had a change of clothes, or at the least a blanket to wrap around herself.

She could wish all she wanted, that wouldn't make it happen.

Finally satisfied with her concoction she scooted over beside Cloud. She carefully removed the old dressing. His arm was almost hot to the touch. Inspecting it she saw the lines of red still ran up it almost to his elbow, which was about as bad as they had been before she had started her treatment. At least it didn't seem to be getting worse.

Cloud sat up with some difficultly, trying to get a good look at his arm, but as soon as he managed it he felt a wave of dizziness. He held his head with his good hand, closing his eyes. Dammit! He could barely move. How long was he going to have to endure this?

"Are you all right?"

Aeris voice barely registered. It was as if he was hearing her from some great distance, and not right beside her. He shook his head slowly and tried to tell her he wasn't feeling well at all, but he was not sure whether he actually said anything at all. He needed to rest. His head sank down until it encountered something soft and cool.

Aeris just looked at Cloud as his head came to rest on her shoulder. His eyes were closed. He almost looked like he had fallen asleep.

She placed her new poultice on his arm, trying not to disturb him, though it was difficult with him leaning on her. He needed some rest. She could feel the heat coming off his forehead. He was burning up. Probably the best thing for him was to get some sleep.

Aeris shifted herself slightly so that her back was against the cavern wall. That was a bit more comfortable. She sat there for a long time, looking down at the top of Cloud's head. Occasionally he shifted restlessly but he didn't wake up.

She smiled, looking at him. He almost seemed like a small child in her arms. He had always had a childlike quality. He probably wouldn't appreciate it if she ever told him that, but it was one of the things that had attracted her to him in the first place. Even when she had first met him, when he had acted so tough and unfeeling, she could tell that wasn't really him.

He hadn't known what he wanted then. Hadn't even known who he was for sure.

And then she had made him make that stupid promise. To be her bodyguard. To protect her.

It had only been a whim at the time. She hadn't really meant anything by it. She hadn't meant for him to take it so seriously. She hadn't known what they were going to be getting themselves into. She had to admit it had been nice to have him say it, to have a protector. To have someone be her knight in shining armor. Wasn't that what a lot of girls dreamed of?

She had been so naive.

And then the whole thing with Sephiroth. She didn't think any of them really understood what they were getting themselves into at first, didn't think any of them understood the danger. She certainly hadn't, not until the Temple of the Ancients. It was only then, after she spoke to the planet, that she realized just how great their peril was. By then she thought of the others as her friends. She didn't want to see any of them get hurt. She could see the way, she knew what she had to do, get to the city of the Ancients and pray for Holy. She also know she was the only one who could do it. Bringing the others along would have just subjected them to unnecessary danger.

So she had tried to do it alone. Who could say what would have happened had she taken a different course. Sephiroth had found her, and it had cost her her life, but in the end her friends had succeeded in defeating Sephiroth, and she had been in the lifestream and able to help them against meteor. Who knows if they would have been able to do that if she lived. And in the end they'd managed to bring her back. It had all worked out for the best.

Yet she knew Cloud had blamed himself for her death, and it was all because of that stupid promise. It was all her fault. She had asked him to be her bodyguard, then, through her own actions, had made it impossible for him to keep his word.

It was over now, it had all been put to right. Cloud _had_ saved her, in the end, but even now, she didn't think he ever really forgave himself.

Cloud moved again, his head turning against her. He said something, softly. She couldn't make it out. He didn't sound like he was in pain.

Why was she even thinking about this? It was all water under the bridge. It was over now. They had all made mistakes. She had to keep telling herself it had all worked out in the end. Cloud was happy now. He was married to Tifa. He had a child.

Yet here he was, still trying to protect her. Still trying to fulfill his promise. He didn't have to jump on the chocobo. Did he consider protecting her a life time vow?

She couldn't help but wonder if he would have done it for any of the others.

Would he have done it for Tifa?

She leaned her head back, staring at the far wall.

What a stupid thing to think. Of course he would have done it for Tifa. She was his wife. He loved her.

She could feel Cloud's breath against her arm as he breathed. She couldn't hear the rain anymore. The whole world seemed to have gone completely quiet.

He loved Tifa and yet... she would never forget the words he had said when he had told her he loved Tifa, upstairs in the bar so long ago.

_I love you but..._

Aeris knew he had feelings for her, and it was mutual. She had told him she had loved him too. Now he was here with her, and Tifa was far away...

Abruptly she realized where these thoughts were taking her. She stiffened. What _was_ she thinking? This was somewhere she didn't want to go. It was somewhere she didn't want to go at all!

She looked at Cloud beside her, and suddenly she felt uncomfortable sitting there with him.

She gently disengaged, trying not to wake him, laying him down on the sandy cave floor. He didn't wake up. She stepped away, feeling somehow dirty. Tifa was her best friend. She would never never hurt her. Cloud had made his choice, and it had been the right one.

Hadn't it?

She stood up, folding her arms around herself. She walked away, over to the entrance. She didn't want to think about this anymore.

It was still raining, a bit harder now. This close to the entrance, she could hear the patter of the drops on the leaves. She stood there in the entrance looking out for some time. She felt depressed. Stepping away from Cloud, trying to free her mind of those thoughts, brought her back to reality, and just how precarious their present situation was. Cloud was seriously ill, and she could tell it was going to be a long time before he got better. There was no where to go, no where to get help. She needed to get more food, but the only way to find more was to go out in the rain, something she was reluctant to do again. She had no clothes to change into if she got these soaked.

She turned away, walking back by the fire. She wasn't hungry, but Cloud had to eat to keep his strength up.

He was still sleeping by the fire. She looked around restlessly. She didn't want to stand here beside him. Not right now. She looked farther back, back toward the rear of the cave. She couldn't see much. The light was dim back there. In all the time they had been here she had never taken a look back there.

She walked away from the fire again, heading in the opposite direction this time, toward the rear of the cave. For some reason she had assumed it wouldn't go very far and at first she thought that assessment was accurate, but as she got closer she saw the wall of stone that made up the back of the cavern was rough and irregular, split with many cracks, some big enough for her to fit through.

She had no desire to fit in any of them, of course. The light form the fire did not extend very deeply into them, and most of them just looked like yawning black holes. She didn't know where they led and didn't want to know. Exploring them just seemed like a good way to get hopelessly lost.

However, she did see something in one narrow split that caught her eye. She couldn't see very far into the tunnel, but she could see well enough to make out small white circular objects on the ground not far within.

She stood there a moment. She could only see a few feet into the tunnel before it faded into darkness. She didn't know how far back it went or what could be lurking there. It made her nervous just looking in there.

Still, that seemed silly. They had been living in the cave for days now and nothing had disturbed them. It was foolish to let some vague fear of the dark stay her, especially if those were what she thought they were.

She made her way forward. The tunnel quickly closed in around her until it brushed up against her on either side. She hesitated. She wasn't normally claustrophobic, but the tight fight made her nervous. She was tempted to turn back. She looked behind her and saw the reassuring flicker of the fire on the walls. That seemed to help diminish her fears. Turning forward again she could barely see more than a few feet in front of her in the darkness, but peering ahead, she saw that her initial assessment had been correct. Lining the floor ahead of her she could see a group of white mushrooms growing.

She tentatively moved toward them again. The tunnel had narrowed to a mere crack, fading into the darkness above her head, but barely wide enough for her to squeeze through. She bent down, reaching forward. She could almost reach the mushrooms now. Looking at them closely she was delighted to see that she was familiar with the type, and they were of a rather tasty variety. It wouldn't exactly be five star restaurant material, but it would be a good change from the green vegetables and fruits they'd been subsisting on up to this point.

She could feel the rocks pressing against her sides, but her hand reached out and gasped one of the mushrooms. She quickly gathered all those within reach. She could only get a few, but she forced her way farther forward, crawling along the ground until she could reach more, only stopping when she felt the stone wall scraping painfully along her hip.

She reached as far as she could, managing to pluck up one last one. She could see quite a few more, but she didn't think she could squeeze forward far enough to reach them. She had enough for one meal anyway. She could save the others for another time.

She started to wiggle backwards, but stopped immediately as a sharp pain shot through her hip. The rock walls were rough and jagged, made of an almost volcanic like substance. She already had half a dozen small scrapes from where her flesh had met the wall. She was beginning to wonder if the mushrooms were worth the effort.

She tried to turn on her side. She heard a tearing sound of her dress ripping and pain laced through her hip again, and she felt like she was just wedging herself in more tightly. At first she had just been irritated with the situation, thinking how stupid she was to get herself in such a position, but now she was beginning to worry. What if she couldn't get out?

She thought about calling out to Cloud, in spite of the potential embarrassment, but he was asleep, and even if he wasn't, he wasn't in any shape to help her.

What a stupid thing to do! She twisted again, trying to force herself backwards in spite of the pain. She could feel the rock cutting into the thigh. She cried out in pain and stopped. This was ridiculous, she thought in frustration. How could she get stuck? What would she do if she couldn't get out?

She pushed against the rock wall in front of her with all her might, more out of frustration than anything else.

Thus, it was quite a shock to her when the wall suddenly gave way.

Aeris raised her hands over her head and cried out as rock suddenly came tumbling down all around her. All light vanished and she found herself in complete darkness, covered with dirt and stones. She turned her head away, trying to protect herself as best she could. She suddenly couldn't breath. Panic welled up in her as she thought she'd be buried alive.

The rumbling sound of the rocks faded. She lay there, choking and gasping for breath. She realized, with relief, that she wasn't completely buried. The cave in had spared her, though she continued to cough for some time before the dust began to clear.

She sat up, blinking. The wall to her left was gone, freeing her, to her great relief. Still, she still couldn't tell the extent of the collapse. If the tunnel behind her had been sealed, being freed from her trap would be small comfort.

Slowly the darkness around her resolved itself into darker and lighter shades. Again she was relieved when the orange red glow of the fire became evident in the distance. The tunnel was still open!

She gathered what few mushrooms she could find in the rubble and started to get up, but immediately dropped back down to the ground with a cry as pain shot through her right thigh.

Her hand automatically went to her leg. She could feel the tear in her dress, and the wound beneath. She couldn't see any detail in the darkness, but her hand came away wet.

Almost out of reflex she lowered her head and concentrated. A moment later a soft breeze stirred the loose ends of her hair. She felt a refreshing warmth pass through her, fading away again almost immediately.

She touched the wound again, probing the spot. There was no pain.

It had worked.

It had worked! She felt a surge of elation. Her healing powers were back!

She pulled herself up, ignoring the host of minor bruises and scrapes she had received from her ordeal. It was all forgotten now that she knew she had her powers back.

She turned to rush back to Cloud, but then stopped. The cavern she was in had been narrow, with her barely able to fit. Now there was a gaping hole where the wall had been. She couldn't see much of what was revealed there, the light didn't penetrate that far, but she could tell there was a new opening there. The air had a musty smell to it, and she could feel a faint breeze touching her face from somewhere in the darkness beyond. For some reason, she got the impression of an enormous emptiness. A space that was huge, huge and old. Even so, it wasn't any impression that has stopped her.

She could have sworn she'd heard something back there. Somewhere.

She stood perfectly still, straining her ears to listen, deliberately suppressing the wild thoughts that tried to spring into her mind.

Even if it had been something, it was probably just some harmless animal. She didn't like the idea of bats flying around in the darkness back there, but she knew they were relatively harmless, and as long as they stayed away from her she could live with them. Or any small animal. She didn't want to think it was something larger than that. She had to keep telling herself they had been here a long time. If there was something dangerous back there it would have made itself known by now.

Or so she hoped. Mabye it hadn't been able to get to them until she had conviniently opened the way.

She stood up slowly. She heard it again, or something, and she felt her nervousness grow. It didn't sound like an animal. It sounded like...

Footsteps.

She stared into the darkness. She wasn't one to scare easily but she had to admit this was spooking her. Her weapon was back by the fire. She wanted to turn and run back there, she wanted to shout to Cloud for help, but he was sick. He needed to rest. He didn't need to be woken up because she was scared of the dark. And in his condition, what could he do even if he was awake?

"Is someone there?" she found herself calling out. Immediately she regretted it. There was no one the island except their enemy. Did she really think they would answer? She didn't honestly think letting whoever it was know that she knew they were there would scare them away, and it had certainly given away the fact that _she_ was here.

She listened intently. She heard no reply, but instead, the sound of a groaning cry from behind her.

She turned and ran back into the main cavern, Cloud's painful cry making her forget the footsteps she might or might not have heard, and the mushrooms that slipped unconcerned out of her hands.

Cloud was writhing on the ground beside the fire.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Aeris cried out.

He didn't respond. She felt panic begin to well up inside her as she realized he was having some kind of seizure. His whole body shook as the spasms ran through him.

She dropped down beside him, grabbing hold of his arm she closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might.

She waited.

And nothing happened.

She felt nothing. Just like before! She opened her eyes and cried out in frustration. What was going on? She knew her powers worked now. Why couldn't she help him?

She looked around, not sure what to do. Cloud continued to writhe. Just looking at him sent a knot of fear and desperation through her. He was desperately ill. Her meager efforts to help him had been to no avail. Was he going to die?

She touched his forehead. He was still burning up with fever. She knew a high fever over a prolonged period of time was a bad thing. It could cause brain damage, or something like that, or was that just in children? She didn't know for sure, but it seemed quite likely that the seizures were being caused by the high fever. She had to get his temperature down somehow.

She looked around, then scooped up some sand and threw it on the fire, extinguishing it. She stood up and ran over to the entrance, pulling the ribbon out of her hair.

It was still raining. In fact, it was coming down harder now. She paid it no heed. She stood at the entrance looking around for a moment. The rain had pooled in spots in the forest, forming puddles. She ran over to one and dipped her ribbon in it. She turned around and ran back inside. She dropped down to her knees beside Cloud and placed the cloth on his forehead. It wasn't much but it was all she had, and it might provide a bit of relief. She couldn't think of anything else to do.

For what seemed like the longest time he continued to writhe, and she feared he efforts would be for nought. Eventually, however, after what seemed like at least forever to her, and she had gone out twice more to rewet the cloth, his spasms faded, until eventually he lay quiet beside her, though whether the seizures had stopped by her efforts or the own accord she could not say.

She lifted up his head, resting it in her lap. His eyes remained closed, but the seizures did not start again, and he mumbled something. She couldn't make out what it was, but it seemed he was resting comfortably again.

This didn't comfort her much. The seizures had terrified her. She felt something was seriously wrong. She knew her powers worked now, but she hadn't been able to heal him. Why? Whatever he had it was no ordinary infliction. There was something wrong about it. Her healing powers didn't work, and though her herbs seemed to alleviate some of the symptoms, they didn't seem to be healing him either. Whatever he had there was nothing ordinary about it.

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed to her that she wasn't going to be able to help him. She couldn't do it alone. She needed help, and there was only one possible source she could turn to. She was almost sure the Cetra here would be able to help him.

She just sat there, looking down at him. He was peaceful now, his face calm and almost innocent looking.

She didn't want him to die. She would do anything to prevent it. She knew he was the one who was most responsible for bringing her back. He was the only one who had never given up hope. She could never repay him for that. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing. If there was any way to contact the outside world, she would do it in an instant, but of course there wasn't. There were no doctors here, unless they were with the Cetra. If she gave up, if she told them she would cooperate with them, would they save him?

She didn't know for sure. She didn't know what they really wanted. They didn't want her dead, she was sure of that, but that didn't mean they needed her cooperation for whatever they had in mind either, and she was almost certain they didn't need Cloud. If she revealed herself to them, would they care about Cloud? Would they just let him die, or perhaps kill him themselves?

She knew Cloud would be dead set against it. All of her friends probably would. She had gone on her instincts one other time and it had gotten her killed.

But what other choice did she have?

The only other choice was to just wait it out, hoping that Cloud would somehow recover.

She didn't think she could stand that, just sitting here waiting to see if he would live or die. She couldn't just stay here and do nothing. If she didn't try to help him and he died, she would never forgive herself. Tifa would never forgive her. She'd never be able to look her friend in the eye again.

She didn't want to leave Cloud. Even for a minute, but, comforting as it might be to stay here and hold him, she wasn't doing him any good this way. She didn't want to reveal herself, she knew the others would probably just think she was being foolish and not thinking again, she knew she might just be making more trouble for both of them, but she didn't know what else to do.

It was all her fault he was here. He had jumped on the chocobo to try to protect her, and look where it had gotten him. Again, again that promise had come back to haunt her, to haunt them both. How she wished she had never gotten him to make it!

It was too late. She couldn't take it back, or make it undone, any more than she could cure him. They were in the situation they were in and no amount of regret would change that. She had to make up her mind.

She looked down at him one more time, her hand coming up to caress his cheek. He moaned softly, but there was no pain in it.

She placed him back gently on the sand once more and stood up.

"I'm sorry Cloud, I have to leave you right now," she said. "I'll be back soon, and I'll bring help."

He didn't reply.

She looked down at him for a moment longer, then turned, her mind made up, and walked resolutely toward the entrance once more.


	10. A Day at the Races

CHAPTER X

A DAY AT THE RACES

"Vincent?"

The room was dark. She could barely see him, laying in bed. It was early evening. The sun stood on the horizon but had not descended below it yet. Even so, the curtains were pulled tightly closed. There was no light on in the room. Vincent didn't answer. Didn't move. Just lay in bed. Like a dead thing.

"Vincent, are you all right?" she said. She stepped toward him, then stopped as he opened his eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the dark, like fiery coals of red. It wasn't the color or the glow that stopped her, however, it was the look behind them. This wasn't the eyes of the Vincent she knew. His normal stare was cold and piecing, and could not be mistaken for anything friendly, but this was worse than this, this was... malevolent.

"Vincent?" she said softly.

He still didn't reply, but his head turned, his gaze wandering up to the ceiling. She approached again, until she stood right by his bedside. In the dim light, it was hard to make out details, but she could see enough that her breath caught in her throat. His skin was gray, his face appeared drawn and... withered. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, but there was no life in them at all. He didn't say anything, didn't even acknowledge her presence.

Something was wrong. It was obvious. He was getting worse. He hadn't looked this bad yesterday. She couldn't understand it. She had been testing him everyday, and every indication she had was that he should be improving. His mutant cell count had gone down every day. He should be getting better.

Obviously he wasn't, and she had no idea why.

"I have to take some blood," she told him. She didn't really want to. She knew how much he disliked it, but she had no choice. It was the only way she could monitor what was going on.

He said nothing.

She laid the blood collection equipment down on the bed beside him. She put the tourniquet on his arm, noticing that her hands were shaking slightly. She couldn't deny that she was worried. It was early evening and he hadn't moved from the bed all day, hadn't gotten up, hadn't said a word. She was worried about his health, and she didn't like the way he was looking at her. It scared her.

She pushed the needle quickly into his arm, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. She looked at him, but he didn't react. She waited impatiently while the tube filled. She wanted to talk to him, say some words to possibly get him to relax, but her throat was dry, and she could think of nothing to say.

When she was done she pulled the tube out. As she was placing a band aid on the spot Vincent finally moved. His metal hand came over and grasped her wrist, making her gasp.

She tried to pull away, but his grip was like a vice she couldn't possibly escape from. She looked at him, but he was still looking at the ceiling. Other that one hand he hadn't moved at all. For a moment she just stood there.

"Vincent?" she questioned.

He didn't respond.

"Vincent, please let me go."

He still didn't answer, didn't show any sign that he even heard her, but she could feel the intensity of his grip slowly increasing.

"Vincent, please," she said again.

She pulled back, trying to break his grip, but it was impossible.

"Vincent, you're hurting me!" she pleaded.

She looked around, feeling herself starting to become frantic. What was wrong with him? She reached out and found her hand closing on the needle she had used to draw his blood. She continued to pull away, but she couldn't budge him.

"Vincent, let go!" she said, suddenly, angrily. If pleading didn't help, maybe that would. She didn't know what else to do.

It didn't help. She didn't know how to reach him. It was like he wasn't even there. She didn't think he knew what he was doing. He might not even be aware she was in his grip, but she had to do something to snap him out of it. She felt as if her wrist were breaking. If he squeezed any harder, she was afraid he's crush it.

She lifted the needle in her hand.

She hesitated. She didn't want to do it. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't know if he would even feel it, or if it would make matters worse.

And then, abruptly and for no apparent reason, he let go.

For a moment she didn't react, too surprised that her hand was free.

"Vincent, are you all right?" she said finally.

No reply.

She looked at him for a long time, until the throbbing in her wrist subsided, though it took a lot longer for her heart rate to return to normal. Finally she picked up her samples and quickly walked out of the room.

She went immediately to the lab. Something was obviously wrong, and she was determined to stay in the lab until she figured out exactly what it was, no matter how long it took.

She kept going over everything she knew in her mind. She couldn't find any mistakes, but obviously there was one. Vincent was supposed to get another injection of the drug but she wasn't about to give it to him, not until she was sure what was going on. If the experiment had to end here in failure then so be it. She wasn't going to subject him to any more of this.

It took almost an hour for her to prepare the slides. With an air of trepidation she did her counts. Then she did them a second time, and a third, each time more frantically than the time before.

Finally, convinced that she had made no mistake, she sat back in her chair, rubbing her eyes.

For the past week the mutant cell count had declined at a slow but steady rate. From a high of 45 when she had first tested Vincent down to 39. It was a good sign and was just what she had hoped would happen.

The count was now 65.

It had gone up almost thirty percent in one day. One day! It should be going down, not up. Even with no drug at all it should remain the same. It should never go up. It was impossible.

But that's what the numbers told her. She was tempted to run through it again, but she had already done it three times. She had carefully checked everything. She was sure the count she got was accurate.

It was impossible, but she couldn't deny the truth. The drug wasn't working anymore. Somehow, it was having the opposite effect. Instead of decreasing the mutant cells in Vincent, it was increasing them.

Which was a very very bad thing.

The more mutant cells there were in Vincent's body, the harder it would be for him to prevent a transformation, the harder it would be for him to maintain control over the beast within him. There was a critical point where Vincent's will would be overwhelmed and he would no longer have any control at all. Lucrecia wasn't sure where that point would be. A lot depended on Vincent's will, but she knew for sure that anything over fifty percent was dangerous.

No wonder he was in such bad shape. No wonder he had hardly talked, hardly even moved. He must be expending every ounce of energy just to maintain control. She had to help him. She had to do something before it was too late.

But what?

Stop giving him the drug, certainly, but was that going to help? That might stop the increase in mutant cells, but it was still too high, still higher than it had been when they had started, before she had tampered with it. There was no guarantee he could remain in control even the way he was. She had to bring the count down somehow but she no idea how to do that. The only way she knew was with the drug but that obviously wasn't working anymore. Something had gone horribly wrong and she had no idea how to fix it. She paled at the thought that she might not be able to help him, that, because of her mistakes, he might be doomed to spend the rest of his life like this, struggling against the beast inside him.

She couldn't accept that. Something had gone wrong, and it was up to her to figure out what it was. She needed to know exactly what had happened, and why. She had to understand the process before she could fix it. There had to be a way to save him, there just had to!

She pulled the microscope to her again, determined to find the answer. It had to be there somewhere, somewhere in the data she had collected, or the specimens she had in front of her.

She started preparing more slides, but stopped suddenly at a sudden crashing sound from one of the rooms upstairs.

She stiffened, listening.

Vincent hadn't moved all day, except when he had grabbed her hand. It had to be him, however. There was no one else here. The sound she had heard had sounded like something smashing against the wall. She felt her throat go dry.

She stood there, unsure of what to do. What would she find if she went to him? She knew he was strong willed. Perhaps he had brought the beast under control.

She knew that was overly optimistic. It was more likely it was the beast that was in control now, and if that were true, there was no way for her to predict what he would do.

She heard the creaking of the stairs as someone started down them.

He was coming. She was trapped. Up the stairs was the only way out of the basement. She felt panic welling up inside her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She didn't know what was going on. She didn't know for sure the beast was in control. Even if it was, there was no way to know what it would do. Even as the beast Vincent was still Vincent, he still maintained some aspect of control.

Or did he? He might have before, when the mutant cell count was lower. Now, there was no way to tell.

She looked around frantically. There was no way to defend herself. She had no weapons in here that would hurt an ordinary human, much less the beast Vincent was capable of becoming. If he came in here, if he found her, she would be helpless.

She could hear the sound of movement outside now. He was close. It sounded like he was right outside the door. She knew she couldn't hide.

"Vincent?" she said, slowly, tentatively.

There was no reply. For a moment, there was silence, then a clawed hand reached around the doorframe.

In spite of bracing herself for the worst, Lucrecia still cried out at the sight of it. She backed away, slowly retreating from the door, still looking around, even though she was no longer sure what she was looking for. Her eyes fell on the phone, and she ran over to it and picked it up, dialing quickly, so quickly in fact that her fingers fumbled on the buttons and she had to start over twice.

She looked up. Vincent stood in the doorway, or rather the Chaos beast he had become. For a moment she looked in his eyes. There was no sign of Vincent there, no sign of any humanity at all, or pity.

She stepped back again, still holding the phone. It started to ring.

Pick up, pick up, she thought frantically as the Chaos beast slowly approached.

"Vincent, what are you doing?" she questioned. "I know what's wrong. I know the beast is strong, but you've got to fight it. It may be hard, but I know you can, I know there's still something left of you in there!"

He stood right in front of her now, his red eyes glaring down upon her. He raised a claw into the air, and Lucrecia felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, as if it were death's scythe that was about to descend upon her.

She heard a voice at the other end of the line.

"Vincent, please!" she cried out.

The claw raked downward.

* * *

The three Turks, followed closely by Yuffie, Ichiro and Lai Li, stepped off the tram into the entranceway to the Gold Saucer. If anything, the place had become even more gaudy since they had last been there. Flashing lights and bright neon signs flickered before their eyes whichever way they turned. Loudspeakers above the entrance extolled the virtues of the death defying rides within. Reno stepped up to the ticket booth and paid for those who didn't have a lifttime pass.

"You're paying for all of us?" Yuffie said in surprise.

"Why not?" Reno replied magnanimously. "We're billing it all to Avalanche anyway. This is their job, you know."

"You might want to head over to Chocobo Square as soon as you can," the booth operator told them. "It's amateur chocobo racing night. Anyone can participate in the races, and you might win a nice prize."

"Whatever," Reno muttered.

They walked in the entrance, making their way to Battle Square, where Dio's office was. Ichiro, having never been here before, looked around in wonder as they walked.

"Pretty impressive, eh?" Elena said.

"It is amazing, unlike anything I've ever seen," Ichiro replied.

"It's not that big a deal," Reno commented.

They didn't have to hunt for Dio, they found him standing in his private collection/museum room, admiring a line of body building trophies he had won.

"Dio," Reno called out.

The Gold Saucer owner turned to look at him. He was wearing his usual body revealing style of clothing, tight pants with suspenders and no shirt to hide his well muscled and tanned upper torso. His hair was slicked back.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Reno continued.

"What is this about?" Dio inquired.

"You have a gold chocobo," Elena said, it was not a question.

"Yes, Yellow Lightning. What about him?"

"He hasn't gone missing by any chance, has he?" Elena asked.

"What exactly is it you want to know?" Dio questioned.

Reno gave him a run down of the facts. No real details, just that they were looking for someone who had used a Gold Chocobo and were trying to track down where he had gotten it. This seemed to satisfy Dio's curiosity well enough, for he shook his head when Reno was done.

"Well, I don't know where that bird came from but it certainly wasn't mine. Lightning is in the chocobo pens down in Chocobo Square. Has been since I got him, except when he's been out for training. If someone had taken him anywhere, I'd have known."

"Are you sure?" Elena questioned.

"I'm certain," Dio replied. "Security around here is tight, especially when it comes to a Gold Chocobo. They're quite valuable, as I'm sure you know."

"All right," Reno replied. He looked at the others while Dio walked away. "Looks like this was a dead end."

"So what's next?" Elena inquired.

"Choco Bill has a gold chocobo on his farm," Rude spoke up. "I guess that's next on the list."

"Well, as long as we're here, why don't we go on a few of the rides?" Yuffie suggested. "At least we can get some fun out of this."

"We're not here for fun and games," Reno stated.

"Oh don't be such a grouch," Yuffie replied. "The chocobo farm is a few hours away, and it's getting late. You won't be able to go there until tomorrow anyway. C'mon, let's go over to Chocobo Square. I bet can kick all your butts at the races."

"Yeah, right," Reno replied.

"You don't believe me?" Yuffie questioned.

"The only way you'd be able to beat me at a chocobo race is if my bird had a heart attack and died in the middle of it," Reno proclaimed.

"Oh you are so full of it," Elena chimed in. "I bet I can beat you too."

Reno looked from one to the other.

"Well, why don't we just go find out then?" he suggested with a smile.

"What is this chocobo races?" Ichiro questioned, looking lost.

"Come with us and you'll find out," Yuffie replied.

They made their way through the crowds until they reached Chocobo Square. Rude and Lai Li stood on line to sign them up, while the others walked over to the railing to watch the races. It was quite a sight. They were used to professionals, who raced the chocobo's around the track in close order. Some of the people who were riding now had never raced before in their lives, and as a result the race was much more, well, disorganized, to be kind. Chocobos seemed to be running in all directions, seemingly at random, with only a few actually even going in the right direction. Reno had to admit it was quite amusing.

"What took you so long?" Reno asked when Rude and Lai Li reappeared.

"It was a long line," Rude told him. "We're all signed up for the twenty third race."

Reno looked up at the racing boards overhead. They were only on race eight.

"That's going to take _forever_," Yuffie whined.

"Oh quit your complaining," Reno growled.

Yuffie just glared at him, then wandered off. Elena stood by the railing next to Ichiro, trying to explain to him what was happening. Reno went over and placed a few bets, just for the hell of it. He wasn't going to bet heavily on this. With amateurs racing, you never knew what would happen.

It took almost half an hour to finish one race. With chocobo's running all over the place, it was slow going. Reno glanced down at his watch impatiently. At this rate Yuffie was right, it would take forever.

"Would the racers for group ten, Mr. Billingsworth and his party, please report to the staging area to prep for their race," he heard announced over the loudspeaker.

"Let's go, that's us," Yuffie, who had reappeared as mysteriously as she left, piped up.

"What are you talking about?" Reno questioned.

Yuffie walked forward and handed Reno a wallet. He flipped it open. The ID inside read Sherman Billingsworth.

"Congratulations," she told him. "You're Mr. Billingsworth."

The others crowded round.

"How did you get that?" Elena blurted out.

"Oh, just putting my natural talents to use," Yuffie said modestly. "C'mon, hurry up."

"Wait a second," Lai Li said. "What if the real Mr. Billingsworth shows up?"

"What if he does? He has no ID," Yuffie replied logically. "And besides, I don't think he will. He's kind of... tied up at the moment."

Reno smirked.

"You know, I could almost get to like you sometimes." He looked at the others and shrugged. "Let's go!"

The prep area for the racers was behind the betting booth. Reno showed his newly acquired ID and they were escorted in. The room was filled with harnesses and other racing equipment, and there was also a large pen that held their chocobos. A woman who was standing by the pen walked over to them as soon as they entered.

"Hi, my name's Ester. I'm one of the trainers here and I'm here to help you prepare for your race. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Your chocobos are over here," she said, indicating the pen. "They all have about the same rating, so it will be the skill of the rider that should determine the race. Don't worry, they're all easy to handle. Is there anyone here who has never raced before?"

Lai Li and Ichiro both raised their hand.

"Well, let me give you a quick run down of the basics then. The rest of you are free to listen in, of course."

Ester proceeded to give to two a quick run down on handling a chocobo. Ichiro was silent, Lai Li asked several questions. They others listened or, or didn't, as they saw fit.

"All right," Esther finished. "It's almost time for your race to start. Good luck to you all and don't worry if you don't do well, it's all in fun, but there is a nice prize waiting for the winner!"

"Which will be me!" Yuffie announced.

"In your dreams," Reno told her.

"All right, mount up!" Ester said.

They all picked out a chocobo and got on board. Ester led them all over to the starting position.

The starting light went off. Jostling for position, Yuffie managed to pull out to a quick lead, with Reno and Elena right behind her.

"Watch out on your right!" Reno called out to Elena. When she turned to look he leaned over and shoved her. She fell head over heels, tumbling off the chocobo, rolling on the dirt track until she finally came to a stop, her chocobo running off in another direction. She pulled herself to her feet as Reno and the others raced off.

"Oh you _jerk_!" she screamed.

Reno just grinned. That was one out of the way.

Rude and Ichiro had pulled up next to him, on the other side from where Elena had been. Yuffie was still ahead, while Lai Li trailed behind. Reno spurred his bird forward, trying just to keep the pace. It wouldn't do to expend too much energy at the start and have nothing left for the home stretch.

They rode on for some time, clustered in a tight bunch, with no one seemingly able to pull ahead. At about the half way point Rude managed to take the lead. This didn't sit well with Yuffie. As soon as he was past her she pulled out a small chinese star and threw it at him. It hit his chocobo on it's flank, causing it to let out a loud wark and run off in the wrong direction, with Rude frantically trying to regain control.

Yuffie regained the lead, but Reno and Ichiro were right behind her.

Figuring to take out the easier one first, Reno drove his chocobo to the side, running him right into Ichiro. The young samauri's chocobo turned away, stumbling slightly, but to Reno's surprise, he did not lose control.

Still, the stumble put Reno ahead of Ichiro. Reno looked ahead. Yuffie's chocobo was just a few feet in front of him, but he didn't seem to be catching up, and now they were closing in on the finish line.

Reno slid his nightstick into his hand and activated it with one quick motion. He leaned forward, aiming carefully at Yuffie's bird. There was a flash of light, and the bolt hit the chocobo squarely in the rear. The bird fell to the ground in a cloud of feathers.

Yuffie tumbled to the ground, rolling and managing to regain her feet almost immediately. Reno grinned as he rode by, while she gave him a look that, if looks could kill, would have dropped him dead on the spot. But she didn't waste much time with it. Instead she turned and looked at Ichiro, who was bearing down on her close behind Reno.

"Ichiro, help me!" she called out.

He stuck out his hand as he raced by. She grabbed it and leapt up behind him on his chocobo.

"You can ride with me while...Ahhhhhhhhh!" he started, then cried out as Yuffie suddenly grabbed hold of him and tossed him off the bird. He bounced a few times in the dirt before coming to a stop.

"Sorry," Yuffie called out as she rode off, "but all's fair in love, war and chocobo racing!"

She raced on after Reno. He still had a lead, and the finish line was near. She would never catch him. Not without a little help that was. She pulled out another Chinese star. As they came around the last turn she unleashed it. Her aim was true and it struck Reno's chocobo in the rump, causing it to squawk and jerk violently. It reared back, Reno trying mightily but fruitlessly to retain control, until he found himself falling backward off it into the dirt.

Even though he lost the bird, he didn't lose his nightstick, and as Yuffie rode past the crackle of electricity could be heard as he gave Yuffie's chocobo a taste of it. A moment later Yuffie found herself on the ground as well.

Reno sprang to his feet, looking around. His chocobo had wandered off, back the way they had come. Yuffie's, on the other hand, was just a few steps away. He saw the young ninja pulling herself to her feet as well and realized she'd be able to reach her chocobo long before he could get to his.

He ran over to Yuffie's chocobo and started to pull himself up, but his progress was suddenly arrested as he felt something latch onto his leg.

"Hey, that's _my_ chocobo!"

Reno tried to pull himself out of Yuffie's grip, but she held on tight.

"Let go of me you little twerp!"

She was pulling herself up. Now she was on his back, trying to climb over him and onto the chocobo.

"I'll let go as soon as you let go of my chocobo!" she snapped.

"The chocobo belongs to whoever is riding it, and that's going to be me!" Reno exclaimed.

The bird was moving away, trying to get away from the commotion, but Reno, half on it and half off, wouldn't let go. The finish line was only a few feet away now.

Yuffie wrapped an arm around his neck, trying to pull herself over his head and onto the bird.

"Not on your life!" she told him.

Reno jerked back and forth, trying to shake the pest off him, but Yuffie clung tenaciously, refusing to be budged. He had dropped his nightstick when he tried to climb on the chocobo, and his hands were occupied just trying to hold onto the bird, so he couldn't use them to try to peel her off. Now they were both being slowly dragged along by the bird, neither one of them able to climb onto it or willing to let go.

She let go of his throat, pulling herself over the top of him. Now she had a grip on the bird as well.

Changing tactics, he let go of the chocobo, grabbed hold of Yuffie, and pushed her over the top. Not expecting this sudden acceleration, she flew over the top of the bird onto the ground on the other side.

With a cry of triumph Reno pulled himself up on the bird, but Yuffie wasn't done yet. Hitting the ground rolling she sprang back up onto her feet. She turned around and leapt up into the air, landing squarely on Reno's back once again. This time it was Reno's turn to be surprised, and he momentarily lost his grip. With Yuffie on top of him, the both fell off onto the ground.

"You little jerk!" he snapped.

"Me a jerk! You're the one who's trying to steal my chocobo, you moron!" Yuffie retorted.

"Are you two done yet?"

They both stopped and looked up. They were standing right beside the finish line. Lai Li sat on her chocobo just beyond it, watching them with a bemused expression on her face.

* * *

"My butt is sore!" Yuffie whined, glaring at Reno.

He was walking along the concourse near the Ghost Hotel. The others trailed behind him, Rude holding a huge stuffed mog that Lai Li had won as a prize, nearly as large as she was.

"Oh shut up," Reno growled. "My back feels like a pincushion from feeling your claws in it."

"I think my ankle is sprained," Elena complained, adding her glare to Yuffie's.

"That wasn't very nice of you to toss me off, Miss. Yuffie," Ichiro spoke up.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Yuffie retorted. "And stop calling me Miss. Yuffie!"

"Oh be quiet all of you!" Rude cut in. "Dio wasn't very happy about what you did to his chocobos. We're lucky he didn't throw us all in Corel Prison. If it hadn't been for the fact that we provided more entertainment than any other racers, he probably would have."

"We didn't do any permanent damage," Yuffie said, "and it wasn't..."

She was interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.

"Who is that?" Reno said, not sure where the sound was coming from.

"It's me," Elena announced.

She pulled out her phone and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

She stood there for a moment, a frown forming on her face.

"Lucrecia?"

The others just looked at her.

"Lucrecia? Is that you? Lucrecia!"

"What is it? What's going on?" Reno asked.

Elena didn't answer for a moment. Then she lowered the phone.

"It was Lucrecia. Or at least, I think it was. I heard her say something about Vincent, and then she screamed and it was cut off."

"She screamed?" Lai Li said slowly.

"Yes," Elena said, nodding.

"Is she still in Nibelheim?" Yuffie asked.

"I guess so," Elena said slowly.

They all just stood there for a moment, looking at Elena.

"I think we better get over there as quick as we can," she said finally.

* * *

"There's nothing out here."

Tifa stared out the window of the helicopter at the waves below. She didn't want to, but she had to admit Reeve was right. They had been flying all day now, only going back to the island to refuel, and, except for a few small uninhabited islands, had seen nothing at all.

She stirred uncomfortably in her seat, but said nothing. They had to be here, they had to out here somewhere. It was just a matter of picking the right direction, but the ocean was just so damn large. They could be anywhere. It was hopeless.

She wasn't going to believe that. She wasn't going to give up, no matter what the odds.

"Are there any other islands out here?" she asked.

Reeve shook his head.

"There's no more on the map," he told her.

Tifa sighed, leaning back in her chair. Her neck hurt from sitting there hunched over, staring down at the water below. She was tired, and her nerves were shot. It was silly to get all worked up. She didn't know what had happened to Cloud and Aeris. For all she knew they could be perfectly safe somewhere. She and Reeve could just be banging their heads against the wall for no reason. Still, she couldn't help but worry. It was only natural. And besides, she had a feeling something was very wrong. She had a feeling Cloud needed her, and she wasn't going to rest until she found him.

"It's getting late," Reeve commented, looking to the west at the sun hovering just above the water. "Do you think we should head back?"

"Do you ?" she asked.

Reeve shrugged.

"Not really, but I'm not sure what else we can do. They could be on some island out here and we could search for weeks and not find it. We've gone over the entire area, practically the entire range of the copter, in grid fashion and found nothing. Logically, it might make more sense to just go back and wait for word."

"If they could send us word don't you think they would have done it already?" Tifa questioned.

"I suppose," he replied. "I just don't have any other suggestions."

Neither did she. What do you do when you've searched everywhere you can?

She stared off into the distance. The wind was blowing from the east, an endless line of waves marching by below them. The ocean looked exactly the same in all directions. For all she knew, they could have spent all day just going in circles.

There had to be somewhere out here where they hadn't looked!

She lowered her head, thinking back to where they had been, the places they had seen, or even just heard of. After a moment she lifted her head again.

"What about Round Island?" she asked.

Reeve frowned.

"Round Island?" he said. He had almost forgotten about that. "That's way north of here."

"Yeah, but it's east too, isn't it?"

"Yeah, some," he conceded. "But Cid said the chocobo went straight east."

"So that doesn't mean it didn't turn north somewhere along the line," Tifa replied. "It's the only place that's east of there where we haven't looked."

Reeve had to admit to the truth of that. Still, there were other problems.

"We can't make it to Round Island," he told her. "We don't have enough fuel."

"So let's go back and get some more," she said.

"It won't matter," he replied. "Even on a full tank we won't have enough for a round trip. It's too far away."

Tifa sighed.

"It's not that bad," Reeve said. "We'll just go back and get the Tiny Bronco. That can make it."

"Shera took the Tiny Bronco back to Rocket Town to pick up some supplies, remember?" Tifa reminded him. "She won't be back til late."

"So, is there a rush?"

"Yes!" she said more impatiently than she had intended.

Reeve turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just on edge. You know that. But yes, I think there is a rush. I don't know why I think that but I do. It's just a feeling, but Cloud needs me. They both need us."

"I know," Reeve said kindly. "But does it matter? We don't have any choice. We can't get there and back in the helicopter."

"Well, can we at least get there?" she asked.

"You mean one way? Yeah, I suppose we could make it, but what good would that do us?"

"We could let Cid know where we're going," Tifa replied. "When Shera comes back she can bring us more fuel with the Bronco. It's going to take some time to hunt for them anyway. It's not likely we'll be done before she gets back."

Reeve shook his head.

"Tifa, that's crazy. It's foolish to deliberately run ourselves out of fuel. What if something goes wrong and we have to leave in a hurry? Or what if there's no one there? We'll just be wasting out time on some wild goose chase, and then we have to pull Shera off what she's doing to come and get us. That will slow down the repairs on the Slipstream and you know the sooner the Slipstream is repaired, the sooner we can start a _real_ search. And besides all that, it's almost dark. By the time we get to Round Island we're not going to have any time to look around before nightfall. We'll have to wait until tomorrow anyway."

Tifa sighed in frustration. She had no argument to counter what he was telling her. She knew he was being logical and she was being irrational, but she couldn't help it.

"I don't care," she said. "I think we should go there now. I think Cloud and Aeris are in trouble and they need our help as soon as possible."

"I know how you feel but..." Reeve began.

"Reeve, please!"

Reeve frowned. Her suggestion went against everything he believed in. He believed in logic and organization. If you were going to do something like this you had to be prepared for every eventuality. It was the height of folly to just zoom off on some crazy mission without any planning or forethought. He should tell her no. He should take them back to the island and wait for Shera to return. That was the smart thing to do. Yet he looked at her, her big brown eyes staring at him, the pleading look on her face and he knew he didn't stand a chance.

"All right," he said. "Round Island it is."

She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He just turned away and shook his head.

God I am such a wuss, he thought.


	11. The Cetra Sage

CHAPTER XI

THE CETRA SAGE

He was up on a ridge when he saw her. She wasn't hard to spot. She was out in the open, a splash of pink in a sea of green. It was like she wasn't even trying to hide. Perhaps she thought the area too remote. Perhaps she thought she was safe, or perhaps, she was just stupid.

Grem didn't care. He wasn't interested in her reasons. All he knew was that he had finally found her.

He had had a feeling he was getting close. The island wasn't that big. There were only so many places someone could hide. The others were fools flying around in the Valiant, trying to spot her from the air. It was a simple thing to hide from the airship in the forest. That wasn't the way to find someone. No, you had to be down here on the ground, down here where you could follow someone's footprints, hear the call of the jungle fauna warning each other of an intruder, where you could smell the odor of an outsider. That was the only way to hunt someone.

She had quite a lead on him. He had been up on the ridge because of the view it provided, and she was on the valley floor below. He ran down the hill, trying to keep her in view as much as he could. There was jungle all around her but fortunately for him she seemed to be keeping to the open spaces.

As he reached the valley floor the trees rose up above his head, cutting off his view of her. He ran on, certain that he wouldn't lose her this time. He had watched her closely as he came down the slope. She was traveling in a straight line and he angled in the direction to intercept her course. Even if she wasn't in the anticipated spot when he got there she shouldn't be hard to find. He wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers. He was too close for that.

Too close. Indeed, he could feel her now, just as any Cetra could feel any other. She was somewhere ahead, not far. He felt a rush of triumph as the hunt neared its climax. There was no way she could escape now. She must be able to feel him too, but that didn't matter anymore. She couldn't get away, not now. His senses would guide him unnearning to her, no matter if she tried to escape, no matter if she ran.

He reached the edge of a small clearing before he saw her again, the pink of her outfit once more standing out against the background foliage. She was still quite a distance ahead, but she had stopped, looking around slowly. She still didn't see him. Unlike her, his clothing blended in with the background, and like any natural hunter, he kept to the shadows, kept some kind of cover between himself and his quarry. If all went as planned she never would see him, never would know what hit her. He was almost close enough now to launch his attack. If it had been up to him it would have ended this way much sooner, while she was back in the City of the Ancients, but the others hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, any Cetra, even a half breed like her. Instead they wanted to kidnap her, as if she could never escape, like someone would be around to guard her for the rest of her life. No, it was better his way. He knew it and Yonsin knew it too. It was obvious from the order he had given. He should have just disobeyed his orders and done her in back in the City of the Ancients when he was watching her. It would have saved them all a lot of trouble.

Not that it mattered now. Just a little closer and it would all be over. If all went as he expected in a few minutes she'd be out of the way permanently and the others would never be the wiser.

Of course, few things ever go as expected.

He was concentrating on his prey, but he was too good a hunter to let that be his only focus. A sudden stir in the air, as well as the familiar hum of a motor made him spin around immediately, looking up in the air. The great yellow orb of the Valiant rose above the trees just behind him as he did so, swimming through the air directly at him, and, more importantly, the girl in front of him. She was out in the open, and they could hardly fail to see her.

He looked ahead again at his quarry, hoping she would run. The forest wasn't more than a quick jog away from her. It would easy for her to slip into it. She had time.

"Run," he muttered to himself. "Run, damn you."

Instead she waved.

He looked back at the ship again. It was heading right for her.

He could hardly kill her now without their noticing.

With a muttered curse he ran forward, no longer trying to conceal himself. He had missed his chance, but he was not one to dwell on that. He would just make the best of it. Who was to say the chance wouldn't come again? It was obvious to him now why she wasn't trying to hide. She wanted them to find her. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps she had finally realized she had no place to go. Perhaps she was cold and scared and hungry. Or perhaps not. In any case, he supposed he would find out soon enough.

* * *

Aeris stood silently as the great yellow ship slowly sank to the ground in front of her. She could feel them now, the Cetra, several of the, in fact. There was another one around, someone who she had felt before the ship appeared, and now she saw a man appear out of the forest just behind the ship. Apparently they had been hunting on the ground as well as the air.

The ship eased itself softly to the ground. A door opened, where there had been no hint of one before. Aeris strode forward, not waiting for anyone to emerge. When two people finally did come up, a man and a woman, she was standing right in front of them.

"My friend is hurt," she said without preamble. "Can you help him?"

For a moment they just stood there looking at her.

"You have with come with us," the man eventually said slowly.

"My friend is hurt," she repeated. "He's in a cave, up there." She pointed. "I'll go with you wherever you want if you just help him first."

Just then the man that had been on the ground came up to them, stopping short and staring at Aeris. It was not a friendly look.

"What's going on?" he questioned.

"She says her friend is hurt, up there in a cave," the man Aeris has originally spoken to said. "She says she'll go with us if we help him."

"I'm afraid she's in no position to negotiate," was the reply. He turned to Aeris. "Get in."

"I'm not going anywhere unless you help him," Aeris said.

Grem looked at her for a moment. She returned his gaze, clear eyed and with no hint of fear. She held a long rod in her right hand. He knew enough about her to know she was proficient in its use. Still, she was no match for him, even without help from the others. Even so, there could be benefits in acceding to her request. The human was irrelevant, but might prove a nuisance in the future if left to his own devices.

"Hurt? What's wrong with him?" he questioned.

"He's sick," she said. "He has some kind of fever. I've never seen anything like it before. I've used both my healing powers and herbs on him but nothing..."

She stopped, looking at them. The two from the airship stepped back, shock on their faces. Even the man who had been on the ground looked surprised.

"What? What is it?" she questioned. The looks on their faces merely confirmed the bad feeling she had had about this.

"Your healing powers didn't work on him?" Grem slowly repeated.

"No," she said. "At first I thought I had lost them, that you had done something to me with that blue light, but later on I was hurt myself, and I had no problem curing that, but even after that they still didn't work on Cloud. You know something about this. What is it? What's happened to him?"

She couldn't but notice that the other two had edged away from her, and now stood inside the ship.

"How long? How long has he been sick?" Grem questioned.

"A few days," she replied.

Grem glanced at the others.

"Only a few days," he said to them. "It's probably all right. He wouldn't be contagious yet."

That didn't seem to appease the others very much.

"What are you talking about? Contagious?" Aeris said.

"You're lucky you got away from him when you did," Grem said. "Don't worry, he'll recover, but there's nothing we can do for him."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Aeris said, sounding not at all happy. They obviously know what was wrong with him. Why wouldn't they just tell her what was going on?

"Yonsin will explain it all to you when we get back to base," Grem said. "Get in."

"I told you, I'm not leaving without him!" Aeris insisted.

Grem looked at her for a moment. Negotiating was starting to get tedious. He had been slowly inching closer to her and now stood only a step away. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing hold of her arm and twisting it, until she cried out and her rod fell to the ground. She struck at him, but he grabbed her hand, blocking it. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he brought his leg up to block that also, and it hit him in the thigh instead, knocking him slightly off balance but not hurting him. Aeris jerked away as hard as she could. He didn't expect so much strength from her and she slipped out of his grasp. She turned and ran. He stood there glaring at her, making no move to pursue her. Now she was really pissing him off.

She was near the trees when she suddenly felt like someone had taken a white hot knife stabbed her in the back of the head. She cried out, falling to the ground, clutching her head in her hands. She had felt this kind of pain only once before, when they had been looking for the black materia in the northern crater, when she had been attacked by that creature using the lifestream as a weapon.

"Was that really necessary?" the other man said.

"She was getting away," Grem snapped. "I didn't see you chasing after her. She needed a lesson anyway. Maybe now she'll be a bit more cooperative. Now get her and bring her aboard. We've wasted enough time."

The other two just looked at Aeris, obviously hesitant.

"I told you its safe. It was too early. She couldn't have caught it," Grem said impatiently.

The other two walked slowly over to Aeris, then picked her up, bringing her back to the ship. Aeris was conscious but the pain still radiated through her head. Feebly she tried to pull out of their grasp, but she had no strength left.

"What are you talking about?" she asked softly as they walked by Grem. "Why won't you help my friend? Where are you taking me? What do you want?"

She got no replies, and a moment later the others had disappeared inside the airship with her. Grem turned and looked back up the slope. The human was still up there, and if what Aeris was telling them was true he might be more dangerous than ever. Unfortunately, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it now.

With a shrug he turned and walked into the airship as well. A moment later if lifted off the ground and started on its way back to their base.

* * *

"Drink this."

Cloud felt his head being lifted up, then liquid passing down his throat. It felt good until he started to choke, spilling some out onto his shirt. He opened his eyes. He was in a room, or so it seemed at first. The walls were stone, but cut smoothly. There was a fireplace on the wall opposite him, and an opening beside it that looked like a doorway, although there was no door. He was lying on something soft, certainly not a bed, but the man standing beside him carried more interest to him than what he might be lying on.

He had white hair, rather on the long side. His skin was the color of caramel and had the look of parchment. His nose was slightly hooked, equidistant between two blue eyes that looked at Cloud keenly. He was old, certainly, but Cloud realized it was difficult to pinpoint just how old. He seemed... for some reason the word that sprung immediately to Cloud's mind was... ageless.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked slowly. He realized he felt somewhat better. His head was no longer throbbing, and his arm didn't hurt at all. He looked down at it and saw that the swelling was gone.

"I've been called by many names," the man replied.

He walked over to a small area enclosed by a wooden rail fence. He picked up some greens and fed them to the gold chocobo inside. Cloud realized that he was still in a cave, for the back of the room faded away into the darkness, the walls rougher there, the stone uncut.

"A gold chocobo," Cloud said slowly. "Is that the chocobo that brought us here? Are you the Cetra Sage?"

The man didn't say anything until the bird was done. Then he patted it on the head affectionately.

"Yes, I have been called that," he said. "And yes, this is the chocobo that brought you here."

"Why did you bring us here? Where is this place? Where is Aeris? What was wrong with me?" The questions tumbled out.

The Cetra Sage laughed.

"Which of those questions would you like me to answer first?"

Cloud paused for a moment. He wanted them all answered, but one was uppermost in his mind.

"Where is Aeris?"

"She's been taken by the Cetra," he replied.

Cloud's heart sank.

"How did they find her?"

"I believe she went to them to ask them to help you."

"Help me?" Cloud said slowly. Now he felt even worse. She had given herself up because of him? "What the hell did she go and do that for?"

"To try to save your life?"

Cloud felt both frustration and guilt. He should have known she would do something like this. He should have known she would do anything to help him, even if it meant surrendering to the Cetra. Damn he was such a fool. It was all his fault, he thought, but he didn't stop to think that there had been little he could have done to prevent it.

"How long have I been here?" he asked.

"I brought you hear yesterday afternoon. It is now late evening."

Too long, Cloud thought.

"I have to find her," he said, determined.

"I think that would be very unwise," the Cetra Sage said.

"Why?"

"You're still very weak from your illness."

"I don't care about that," Cloud told him. Then; "did you cure me?"

"It's beyond my power to do that, or anyone's," the Sage replied. "I could only alleviate the symptoms somewhat, but it wouldn't have been fatal, at least, not to you. It doesn't kill humans. You would have recovered on your own eventually."

Relived as he was to know he wouldn't have died, he still didn't like the sound of that.

"What do you mean, it's not fatal to humans? What was wrong with me?"

The Cetra Sage gave him a long look from beneath his bush eyebrows.

"You have the Cetra Plague," he said finally.

"The Cetra Plague? What's that?"

"It's the virus that Jenova engineered two thousand years ago to kill the Cetra."

Cloud just sat there for a minute. He had a hard time believing that. He'd heard about the virus of course. Everyone had. He'd never heard of anyone actually coming down with it though, not in his life time, anyway.

"I didn't know it still existed," he said slowly.

"Oh it can still be found endemic to some areas of the world," the Sage replied. "Round Island is one of those places. It's here, probably because the Cetra are still here."

Cloud nodded. The Cetra Plague could kill any Cetra. Perhaps it was lucky he had come down with it. If it had been Aeris...

He looked up.

"Isn't it a danger to you then?"

"Me? Why would it be a danger to me?" the Sage questioned.

"Aren't you a Cetra?"

"No, of course not," the Sage replied, seemingly much amused by the suggestion. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I don't know," Cloud said. "You're the Cetra _Sage_."

"The Chocobo Sage isn't a chocobo, now is he?"

Cloud had to concede the point.

"I suppose not. Anyway, I don't care how I feel. I have to get Aeris back. It's my fault she's with them."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that," the Cetra Sage went on. "I told you I couldn't cure you. The symptoms may have subsided but you still have the virus. You can't pass it to another human, but you can give it to any Cetra you come in contact with."

Cloud frowned. Did that mean what he thought it meant?

"You mean I'm contagious?"

"To any Cetra you meet, yes," the Sage replied. "There is no cure. Any Cetra you pass it along to will die."

The severity of the situation was beginning to impress itself upon him. A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Could I... could I have already passed it to Aeris?" he asked.

"Unlikely," the Sage replied. "You're not usually contagious until the fever subsides."

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief.

"So how do I get rid of it?" he asked.

"You can't. I told you, there is no cure. It's a chronic condition. You've become a carrier."

"But for how long?"

"For as long as you live."

And suddenly he felt as if the roof of the cavern had collapsed on top of him.

"You.. you mean, I'm going to be like this forever?" he said slowly.

The Cetra Sage looked at him, and it was not without sympathy.

"Well, for as long as you live," he repeated.

"And any Cetra I come near, any Cetra at all..." he went on, almost as if talking to himself.

"You can pass it on to, yes," the Sage finished for him. "It's spread by close contact. You might not give it to a Cetra right away, but any direct contact at all increases the risk."

Cloud sat there, shaking his head slowly. It couldn't be. This couldn't be happening. He knew he was sick yes, but, he thought it was nothing, or at worst, some kind of danger to himself. He thought it was some bug that might kill him but certainly not anyone else. He could handle that, but this? He was a danger to the Cetra, a danger to Aeris. He couldn't go near her. How was he supposed to rescue here when... oh god...

Zangan...

"I can't go near any Cetra?" he said, his voice suddenly dry in his thoat. "None at all? Not even if he's born of human parents?"

Maybe that was different. Maybe a Cetra that was born from humans was different somehow. Maybe...

"It matters not," the Sage's words sliced though his hope, cutting it up into little pieces until it faded to nothing. "A Cetra is a Cetra."

"But... but my son is a Cetra," Cloud felt the words ripping at his throat as they came out.

"That is truly unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Cloud snapped, suddenly angry. "I may never be able to hold my son in my arms again and you call it unfortunate?"

The Cetra Sage did not appear offended by Cloud's suddenly harsh words.

"I am truly sorry," he said. "Perhaps you would like to be alone?"

Cloud sat there, and felt all the anger just draining out of him. There was no one to be angry with. It wasn't the Cetra Sage's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault.

"I'm sorry," Cloud apologized. "It's just that..."

The Cetra Sage held up his hand.

"You don't have to explain."

Cloud lowered his head, looking at the floor.

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" he said, almost plaintively. He could believe that the had gotten this disease, nor could he believe that he would have it the rest of his life, that there wasn't anyway to get rid of it.

"I'm sorry," the Sage said again. "Its actually very rare for a human to contract it at all. It's just a one in a million thing, really."

Just my luck, Cloud thought. What was he going to do? How could he go back, how could he tell Tifa that he couldn't go near their son, that if he did he might give him a fatal disease? How could he live with this?

It was too much to take in all at once. He just had to take one step at a time. There was nothing else he could do. He still had a mission, he had to find out what was going on here, and he had to save Aeris. He needed more information. Though this complicated things it didn't change that fact. He would just deal with what was in front of him and worry about the rest when the time came. There didn't appear to be anything he could do about it anyway.

"Why do the Cetra want Aeris?" he asked.

"It's a long story," the Sage replied.

"I've got no place to go."

The Cetra Sage nodded, then sat down on the bed beside him. Cloud noticing for what seemed like the first time that he actually _was_ a bed that he was on.

"A huge Cetra city lies beneath Round Island. It was their capital, actually. I say lies beneath and not used to lie beneath because the city is still here. It's in ruins, or most of it, but it still exists. A handful of Cetra still remain as well, occupying a smaller and smaller portion of the city, doing the best they can to survive, and working feverishly to prevent the complete extinction of their race. Not long ago, they unleashed a virus of their own."

"A virus of their own?' Cloud repeated.

"Yes. This virus infects humans. Female humans to be precise. It slightly alters the genetic structure of any children they bear."

"And turns them into Cetra," Cloud finished for him, coming to the obvious conclusion.

"Indeed," the Sage confirmed.

"So that's why it's happening," Cloud said. He felt revulsion and anger growing within him. They were turning humans into something they weren't meant to be, tinkering with people without their even knowing, altering the genetics of the human race as if they were some kind of lab experiment. They had done it to his own son! "What gives them the right to play God?" he muttered.

"They're desperate," the Sage replied. "They'll do anything to save their people, no matter what the consequences."

"Can it be reversed?" Cloud asked.

The Sage shook his head.

"I'm afraid there is no cure."

Cloud was beginning to get tired of hearing that.

"I understand now," he went on. "But I still don't see what this has to do with Aeris."

"That doesn't have anything to do with her," the Sage replied. "But that's only the first part of their plan. They constructed a device, they call it an amplifier. It's powered by mako. They just finished it recently. With it they can control the voice of the planet. Well, not actually control it. What they can do is substitute their own voice for it."

Cloud's eyebrows pinched together. He had wanted information, but now that he was getting it he was almost sorry he'd wanted to know. This was getting complicated.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"They're going to use it to communicate with the Cetra children they've created. Use it to teach them of their Cetra heritage, teach them who their loyalty belongs to."

"In other words, they're brainwashing them," Cloud said.

"Yes, I suppose you could term it that," the Sage acknowledged. "Its really a perfect way for them to do it. Using the voice of the planet they can be heard by every Cetra child on the planet at once."

"And not be heard by any humans," Cloud pointed out.

"I was afraid they were going to use it to turn the Cetra children against their human parents. I was afraid they were going to start a war."

"So it _was_ you who contacted Aeris in her dream."

"Yes," he replied. "I knew she would understand, and I knew if they used it, she would hear."

"And known right away what they were up to," Cloud said. "I understand now. They must have known Aeris wouldn't go along with them, so they had to get her out of the way first."

A sudden thought chilled him.

"What are they going to do with her?" he asked urgently. They needed her out of the way, and she had delivered herself right into their hands. It might already be too late...

"Calm yourself," the Sage said. "I don't think they're going to kill her. If that were their intention they would have done it long ago. I don't think they like the idea of spilling Cetra blood. There are few enough of them left as it is. I think their intention is to hold her prisoner while they try to convince her that what they are doing is right."

"They're never convince her of that," Cloud said. If he knew Aeris at all, he knew that for certain. She would never join them. "If they find out they can't, would they kill her then?"

"There's really no way for me to know," the Sage replied. "I can only guess at their intentions given the knowledge I have of them. I imagine it would be difficult to keep her a prisoner indefinitely."

"I've got to save her," he said.

"You are only one man, and you are still ill," the Sage pointed out.

"I've got to _try_!" Cloud responded.

As he said that the lifted his head, trying to pull himself up to a sitting position, but the Sage placed a hand lightly on his chest and gently eased him back down.

"Rest now, save later," the Sage said. "There is nothing you can do in this condition. First get your strength back up, then worry about rescuing your friend. You've got some time. They're not going to kill her, or not anytime soon anyway. It would be foolish to rush out there now."

Cloud lay back down with a sigh. The Sage was right, though he was loath to admit it. His fever was gone, but he was still weak from days of illness. He was in no condition to wander around looking for Aeris, much less fight. He realized he still didn't even know where the Cetra base was.

"You know where they are right?" he asked. "You can lead me to them? When I'm stronger?"

"Yes," the Sage replied. "There is a way."

Something in the way he said that made Cloud take notice.

"What do you mean by that?"

The Cetra Sage stood up again and began pacing back and forth in front of the bed, his hands clasped behind his back.

"You can't get to their base by the surface. Not without being seen anyway. They have safeguards against that. Even if you weren't ill, you wouldn't be able to fight them all by yourself."

"How many of them are there?" Cloud asked.

"Perhaps a dozen. I'm not completely sure. Certainly more than one human could handle."

"So how do I get in?" Cloud asked. It was obvious the Sage had something else in mind.

"As I said, the Cetra live in one portion of their old capital. Most of it is uninhabited, in ruins, but there are many ways down to it. There should be a way to get through to them taking that route."

"Should be?" Cloud said dubiously.

"It has been many years since I've been down there. So many I can't count. There was a way through, but who knows what may have changed since? The old ways may be blocked, or they may not. I cannot say. If you choose to go that way you will almost certainly come upon the Cetra unawares, but there are dangers. Most of the city below has been abandoned for centuries. In that time all manner of fell beast has taken up residence there. It will not be easy to get through."

"Well, I never thought this was going to be easy," Cloud commented. He slipped his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He had learned a lot. It was all clear now, but unfortunately, there didn't seem much he could do about it at the moment. He could tell he was still weak, he knew the Cetra Sage was right. He had to wait until he felt better. Hopefully no more than a day or two but even that long would try his patience.

The Sage, having said his peace, walked away from Cloud. He picked up a broom and started sweeping the ground in front of the fireplace. The dust swirled up around him and it didn't seem he was doing much good. It just seemed to Cloud as if he were moving the dust from here to there.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud questioned.

"What do you mean?" the Sage asked, without looking up.

"You're not a Cetra," Cloud said. "How did you get here? Why are you here alone on this island?"

"I'm here to observe the Cetra," the Sage replied. "It's what I do."

"But how long have you been doing it? How long have you been here?"

"I've been here since the Cetra came," the Sage said simply.

Cloud frowned.

"Here since the Cetra came? I thought you told me the city beneath us was centuries old."

"Indeed it is," the Sage agreed.

Cloud just stared at him for a moment. Since the Sage had told him he wasn't a Cetra Cloud had just assumed he was human, but now he was beginning to have doubts.

"What are you?" he questioned after a moment.

"I am the Cetra Sage," the man replied. "One of the four Sages, who have been here since long before your people, almost since the dawn of time, and I suspect will be here long after you and your people are gone."

"Are you... immortal?" Cloud asked slowly.

"No," the Sage said with an amused laugh. "No living thing can make that claim. My time here, though long by your standards, is limited.

"You said four Sages. I know of you and the Chocobo Sage. Who are the others?"

The Cetra Sage put down his broom, appearing satisfied with his work, although things didn't look much different to Cloud.

"The four Sages, who in the beginning represented the four sentient species," the Sage recited. "The Cetra Sage, me of course, the Chocobo Sage, wise in the way of those fleet of both wing and foot, the Dragon Sage, steeped in the lore of those who came first, and the Nehri Sage, the eldest of us all, and the one who is gone, who followed the doings of the wisest."

"Wait a second," Cloud interrupted. He had a number of problems with this. "First of all, no Human Sage?"

The Cetra Sage shrugged.

"I am not the one who chose."

"And Chocobos? One of the four sentient species?"

The Sage walked over and patted his chocobo on the head. It warked warmly.

"They're a lot smarter than you humans give them credit for," the Sage said.

"And who the Nehri? I've never heard of them."

"There were never many of them, and they may all be gone now," the Sage replied. "They used to dwell in the hills around the Cosmo Canyon region."

"Cosmo Canyon," Cloud said slowly. "You mean Red?"

The Sage just looked at him blankly.

"Or Nanaki I should say. Large red creatures that look something like a lion?" Cloud prodded.

The Cetra Sage nodded.

"There are at least two left," Cloud said. But then he thought of something else. "You said the Nehri Sage was eldest, and that he's gone?"

"Yes, as I said, even we are not immortal."

"Do you mean Bugenhagen, by any chance?"

The Cetra Sage thought this over for a moment.

"I do not recall that name. However, the Sages have gone by many names down through the ages. It is not something I keep track of."

Cloud fell silent, momentarily out of questions. He certainly had enough to process for the moment. So Red and Nipala were Nehri. He supposed the red beast would be happy to know that. The information was interesting, but not particularly useful to him at the moment. He thought perhaps he should feel insulted that chocobos had been considered one of the four sentient speices and man was not even mentioned. Still, none of that was going to help him stop the Cetra and what they were doing. He felt like his head was spinning, his mind running from one thing to the other. Zangan was a Cetra because of them, because they had infected Tifa with their virus, it had been done deliberately, without their knowledge or consent. And now... now he had the Jenova virus. Seeing his son again could be a death sentence for the child, and it was all the Cetra's fault. If it hadn't been for them he would have been human, he would have been normal!

Cloud felt his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

Aeris, Aeris was so gentle. She was so concerned with others. He was beginning to think she got that from her human half. All the other Cetra they had met so far had been arrogant and selfish. Ellingio had helped them, but in the end it had only been to serve his own purposes. Perhaps that wasn't fair, he hadn't met all of them. He didn't know if they were all in on this plan, he didn't know if they all were going along willingly. It seemed that the Cetra were just the same as humans in that regard. Maybe there were some who were shouting as loud as they could that this wasn't right, that they shouldn't be doing it. Maybe it was just that no one was listening to them.

Maybe, but in any case, it was hard to be objective when someone was tinkering with the genetic structure of your son.

A sound distracted him. He realized he had been hearing it for sometime, slowly increasing in volume, but it wasn't until now that it penetrated into his consciousness. It sounded as if it were coming from far away, but it was getting louder. He felt a sudden rush as excitement when he recognized it.

"Do you hear that?" he suddenly exclaimed.

The Cetra Sage paused for a moment, obviously listening. Then he shook his head.

"My ears aren't as keen as they once were," he stated.

"Never mind that," Cloud replied. "I can hear it well enough. It's the sound of a helicopter. Someone is here!"

He lifted himself up, then fell back again as he was overcome with a wave of nausea. The Cetra Sage immediately walked over to him.

"Easy, easy. You're not well enough to hop around like you're used to."

"Help me up," Cloud said. "I need to go outside and find them. I need to let whoever it is know I'm here."

The Cetra Sage obliged, and with the man's arm propped under his shoulder, Cloud managed to attain an upright position.

There was a set of stairs cut in the stone through the doorway just to the left of the fireplace. With the Cetra Sage helping him, Cloud climbed up the stairs. They emerged under the trees on a level area overlooking the ocean. It was dark. Cloud could barely make out the helicopter. It was close to the beach below, if it had not landed already. He could see no light. The only reason he could pinpoint it at all was because of the sound it was making. Cloud looked up, searching the sky, hoping the sound had not attracted the Cetra as well. The night was cloudless, but a chill wind blew from the north. The stars shined like diamonds in the clear sky above. He could see no sign of the Cetra airship.

Even now the pitch of the sound coming from the helicopter changed, and Cloud knew it had landed. Trying to hurry as best he could, they made their way down to the beach.

It took longer than he had wanted, and he was worried whoever it was might be gone by the time they got there, but when he finally broke out of the trees onto the sand of the beach, he could see figures standing by the machine.

"Over here!" he called out, waving.

Perhaps it wasn't prudent, but he didn't stop to wonder who it was. It obviously wasn't the Cetra, and since Round Island wasn't exactly on the beaten track, he assumed that his friends had somehow found him.

His faith in his friends was upheld when he heard a female voice call out excitedly.

"Cloud!"

One of the figures came running toward them, racing across the sand as best she could. A moment later Tifa threw herself into his arms.

"Tifa," Cloud said softly, grabbing hold of her and squeezing hard.

"I can't believe you're really here," he heard her say. "We didn't know where you had gone. We were so worried!"

"Its all right," Cloud said reassuringly, stroking her long hair. God how he had missed her! "I'm all right."

Reeve appeared out of the darkness in front of him. He was as happy as Tifa was to have found Cloud, but before he could say anything he noticed the man that was standing beside the young warrior.

"This is the Cetra Sage, " Cloud explained. "C'mon, it's dangerous here out in the open. Let's go someplace where we can talk. I've got a hell of a lot to tell you."


	12. Unpleasent Truths

CHAPTER XII

UNPLEASANT TRUTHS

"Tifa, can I talk to you for a minute?"

They stood at the entrance to the Cetra Sage's cave. Before walking up to the cave they had decided it would be prudent to conceal the helicopter. They had covered it as best they could with branches from nearby trees. It was crude, but he hoped it would conceal the chopper from casual detection. Fortunately Reeve had landed close to the forest, so they didn't have to lug anything very far, otherwise it would have taken them all night.

The Cetra Sage and Reeve were ahead of them. Cloud had spoken softly, so only Tifa could hear. Still, when they stopped Reeve noticed and turned to look at them. Cloud motioned for him to go ahead.

Tifa watched Reeve disappear into the cave before speaking.

"What is it?" she questioned.

Cloud didn't reply right away. Instead he walked along the hill, away from the cave, out onto a small promontory that overlooked the ocean below. This was something that Reeve needed to know too, but he wanted to talk to Tifa first. He had a feeling she wasn't going to take his news very well, and he thought it would be better if they were alone.

He felt her come up beside him. He reached back, seeking her hand, and squeezed it tightly when she offered it. He wasn't sure how to begin. There wasn't any easy way to tell your wife you might never be able to see your son again.

"Cloud, what is it?"

He could hear that her voice was laced with worry. It was obvious from the way he was acting that something was wrong, that he wanted to tell her something but was having a hard time getting it out.

"When Aeris and I first came here I fell ill," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

He wanted to turn to face her, to look into her eyes, but he didn't. He didn't think he could stand it.

"Are... are you all right?" she questioned.

"Yes," he said quickly. "Well, no. Yes and no, actually. Well, its not like I'm going to die or anything."

He hesitated once more. He felt her squeeze his hand more tightly.

"Cloud, please tell me what's wrong."

Already the sound of her voice tore at his heart and he hadn't even told her anything yet. Still, he realized he was just making things worse. He had to just come out and say it.

"I have the Cetra plague," he said, his voice sounding hollow. "The virus that Jenova unleashed on the Cetra thousands of years ago. It still exists, and I've got it. It's not fatal to humans, but there's no cure. I've become a carrier. Any Cetra I come into contact with I could give it to. It would kill them. The Cetra Sage told me I'd be a carrier for the rest of my life."

Cloud found himself holding his breath as he waited for a response. He didn't know if she would grasp the consequences of what he was saying immediately. He knew from his own experience that this was something that took some time to sink in.

She didn't say anything at all, just stood there beside him. Finally he couldn't take it any longer, and turned to look at her. She was just standing there, looking at him, and he could see tears forming in her eyes. It was true, she wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but she could tell it was bad. Very bad.

"Cloud, what are you saying?" she finally found her voice. "Are you saying that Zangan... that you can't..."

Her lips continued to move but no words came out. She couldn't get herself to say it.

But it had to be said. She had to understand.

"I'm saying that I'm the carrier of a disease that will kill any Cetra I come in contact with. I'm saying there's no cure. I'm saying that if I ever meet my son again it could...

He found himself faltering. He could see Tifa's cheeks wet with tears now and his own eyes were misting up.

"That it could kill him," he forced himself to finish.

She understood now, he could tell by the way the color drained from her face, by the way her whole body seemed to go limp. He didn't want to hurt her. God how he didn't want to hurt her, but she had to know. Looking at her now, it broke his heart. He hated himself. He hated himself for having to tell her this, for having gotten in this position in the first place. He knew it was foolish to blame himself but he just couldn't help it. If only he hadn't come here. If only he hadn't been clumsy and fell and scraped his hand on that rock. One step, one step in either direction and it might not have happened. How could he have been so stupid!

She shook her head. She was sobbing now. The sound of it made him feel as if something was dying inside himself.

"No one can cure it?" she managed to ask.

He let go of her hand and grabbed hold of her, pulling her close. She knew there wasn't. She was grasping at straws. It was only natural. He had done the same thing himself at first. The plague had been around for thousands of years and no one had come up with a cure.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I guess there's always a possibility a cure might be discovered, but it's been around so long. The Cetra have been working on a cure unsuccessfully all these years. I don't think... I don't think there's much hope."

He didn't want to say that. He wanted to be more optimistic, but he didn't want to give her false hope either.

"I need to sit down," she whispered.

He let go of her. She walked away, toward the very edge of the promontory. The land fell steeply from there, almost straight down to a narrow band of beach. She sank to the ground. Cloud followed her, sitting down beside her. He could see she was still crying. He put his arms around her, wishing there was more he could do, wishing he could somehow make this hurt go away, but there was nothing. There was nothing he could do expect hold her, not matter how inadequate that might be.

"It's not fair," she said.

He didn't reply. There wasn't anything he could say.

She had been leaning against him, but now she sat up. He pulled her hands up in front of her chin, and he could see that her fists were clenched, that her knuckles were white.

"It's not _fair_!" she said bitterly.

"Tifa," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it away.

"After all we've done!" she continued. "All these years, all these years we've strived to do what was right. We helped save the Planet. We really did. I always thought that somewhere along the line it would all end, that we'd be able to live happily ever after. But no, the powers that be, in their infinite wisdom, seem to think that would be too easy for us. This is the thanks we get? This is our reward for doing what was right? They take your son away from you? That our family is destroyed?"

Her voice cracked on the last sentence, and the tears flowed again.

"Tifa," Cloud said softly. "You know life doesn't work that way."

"Well then life _sucks_!" she shouted.

She turned toward him, twisting her hands in front of her.

"I want to hurt something Cloud. I want to... hurt something!"

His head slowly sank.

"Me?" he said softly.

Hearing him say that, her anger suddenly subsided. She fell to her knees in front of him, pulling him into her arms again.

"Of course not," she said. "I love you Cloud. I would never want to hurt you. Its not your fault. Its not anyone's fault. I'm just being foolish, but I can't help it. I want to hurt something, I want to fight back, but I can't punch a disease. You can't slice a virus up with your sword."

Again he didn't know how to respond. Before he could say anything she looked at him again.

"I'm not going to let you go," she said. Tears still streaked her cheeks, but she wasn't crying anymore. Her anger was gone, and now her face held a look of resolve. "I'm not going to let this beat us. We'll find a way. Somehow."

He took hold of her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. He didn't feel very reassured himself, but he smiled anyway, for her sake. This virus had been around for thousands of years and in all that time no one had found a cure. What were the odds that one would appear during their lifetime? It would be like wining the lottery. The chances were astronomically slim.

Tifa was no fool. She was a bright girl. She must realize how small the odds were as much as he, but what could they do, what other hope did they have to cling to? It was human nature to seek comfort where you could, no matter what the odds. If the only hope you had was vanishingly small then what's what you hung on to, because the only other option was despair.

After all, in spite of the odds, people did win the lottery, now didn't they?

"No, we're not going to give up," he agreed. "We've both been through a lot. Life isn't going to beat us down, not if I can help it."

He looked at Tifa. She seemed to have calmed down, at least for now. It was a bitter pill to swallow but she was tough. That was one of the things he had always admired about her. The hurt wasn't going to go away anytime soon, if ever, but she wasn't one to agonize over things that she couldn't do anything about. They had another problem in front of them, perhaps not as earthshaking, but this was something they _could_ do something about.

"We have to rescue Aeris," he spoke up.

"What happened to her?" Tifa questioned.

Cloud dropped his hands into his lap.

"That's probably something Reeve should know as well," he said to her. "Do you feel up to going inside?"

She wiped her eyes, removing the last traces of her tears. Then she nodded.

The both stood up and Tifa followed Cloud as he led her into the Cetra Sage's cave. Reeve looked at them curiously when they walked in, but his expression changed to one of concern when he saw the look on Tifa's face, and though she had wiped away her tears the redness of her eyes still gave away the fact that she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

Cloud told Reeve and Tifa everything the Cetra Sage had told him. Reeve's eyes widened when Cloud said he had the Cetra plague, and Tifa looked upset again when he told them about the virus the Cetra has released that turned humans into Cetra.

"It's their fault?" she blurted out.

Cloud nodded. Tifa said nothing more, just stood there looking off into space, a smoldering look in her eye. It wasn't hard for him to see what she was thinking. Here was someone at least that they could strike back at. If that made her feel a little bit better about the situation, he wasn't going to argue.

"Yes," he replied. "I don't know if all of them are in on it or what, and I don't know if there's anything they can do about it, but we're certainly going to find out, and stop them."

"Cloud, if we..." Tifa said slowly. "...if we eliminated the virus, would that mean that Zangan might become human?"

Cloud's brow knitted. He hadn't thought of that. He had no idea. Was it possible there was some hope after all?

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that," the Cetra Sage spoke up. "The virus alters the genetic makeup of the cell that the child forms from. Once that change has taken place it's permanent. It's like a mutation, you can't take it back."

Cloud looked at Tifa. She said nothing but the little hope he had seen in her eyes faded. She lowered her head, feeling defeated. She tried very hard to not show what she was feeling inside. It was all right to fall apart in front of Cloud, but she wasn't going to do that here in front of the others. She was determined to put up a brave front.

"What do we have to do Cloud?" she asked.

"The Cetra Sage told me I wouldn't stand a chance with a frontal assault," Cloud replied, looking at the Sage. "But there is an old Cetra city underground here. Most of it is abandoned, and he thinks we can come upon them unawares if we take that route. There are dangers however. He thinks the area might be filled with monsters."

"Figures," Reeve spoke up.

"However, that looks to be our only chance. Unless we wait while someone goes back for reinforcements."

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," Reeve said.

"Why not?" Cloud asked.

Reeve looked at Tifa

"Because the helicopter doesn't have enough fuel to get back," Tifa admitted.

Cloud scratched his head.

"You came here without enough fuel to get back?" he questioned.

"Yes," Tifa said. "It was my idea. I didn't want to wait. I thought... you might be in trouble."

"I see," Cloud said, letting his head drop. "Well, I guess it'll just be the four of us then."

"We told Cid where we were going," Reeve said. "When Shera gets back with the Tiny Bronco they're bound to come looking for us."

"And when will that be?" Cloud asked.

"I'm not sure," Reeve replied. "A few days at most, I would think. We figured... well, Tifa figured that would give us some time to do some hunting. Even if you were here, we didn't expect to run into you immediately. "

Yeah, they were lucky there at least, Cloud supposed. The island wasn't that big but it was a stroke of luck that he had found them so quickly. They could just as easily have run into the Cetra first and that could have been disastrous.

"So we've got a little luck, at least," he said. "I don't think it's a good idea to wait. I don't know what the Cetra are going to do with Aeris. The Sage here doesn't think they'll kill her but I"m not so sure myself, especially when they find out they can't convince her to join them. I think the sooner we get her out of there, the better."

Reeve resisted the urge to tell Cloud that their odds of rescue would be much improved with the other members of the team here with them. He knew that was just the logical part of his brain talking. Nothing wrong with that but in this case he agreed with Cloud. If Aeris was in any danger at all he wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible.

Even so, Cloud looked ready to run off this very minute and he didn't think they were prepared for that.

"It's late," Reeve said. "I think it would be best if we all got some rest. We can start off early tomorrow."

He looked at the others for their opinion. It was true, Cloud did want to start off immediately, but he could see the wisdom of Reeve's words. He and Tifa had had a long trip, and a lot to digest since they got here. He glanced over at Tifa. She looked pretty tired. Not that he wasn't himself. He was still weak from his illness, but he still felt better than he had in a long time.

"I think that would be very wise," the Cetra Sage spoke up.

Cloud looked at the others and it seemed they were all in agreement.

"All right then, let's get some rest."

"I'm afraid I don't have any accommodations for guests," the Cetra Sage said. "Its been a long time since I had any visitors."

"That's okay, the ground will do," Cloud replied. "Its what I've been sleeping on since I got here, save for last night."

He looked at Tifa

"This is fine with me," she said. It wouldn't exactly be the first time she had roughed it either.

They made themselves comfortable, or as comfortable as they could get, in a corner not far from the entrance. Reeve lay down closer to the fire, which by now had faded to just red embers. Tifa curled herself up next to Cloud, her head resting on his shoulder. She entwined her hand with his and looked up at him.

"Everything's going to be all right, isn't it?" she whispered.

Cloud looked up at the cavern above his head. He had promised himself he was going to tell her the truth, that he wasn't going to sugarcoat anything. In the end it would be better for them that way, and she was strong enough to handle it. This time, however, he didn't think she wanted honesty. From the sound of her voice it seemed all she was looking for was some reassurance, she was looking to him to give her a little bit of hope. Right now, that might be more important than honesty.

"Of course it will," he said. "We've been through tough times before. We've almost managed to get by. It'll work out somehow. We'll make it work out."

For a long time she didn't say anything, didn't move, just lay there looking at him. Finally she nodded and lowered her head.

He didn't think his simple reassurance would really convince her of anything, but she seemed satisfied with it. If his words supplied some temporary comfort to her then that was fine. He would gladly say them. He just wished he could believe them himself.

* * *

"This can't be good."

Yuffie and the others stood looking at the front door to the Shinra Mansion. The door lay on the lawn in front of the house itself, a good ten meters away from actual entranceway. Splinters of wood and the twisted remains of the hinges littered the lawn around it.

"Oh shut up Yuffie," Reno said. He didn't exactly consider himself Mr. Sensitivity, but Elena stood right beside them, and it was easy to see she was practically hysterical already from worry. Her face was white as a sheet and she looked ready to collapse at any moment. She certainly didn't need any of Yuffie's flippant comments.

Yuffie gave Reno a dirty look but keep her mouth shut.

They walked up to the door. From there they could see that the door wasn't the only part of the Mansion that had suffered from someone's wrath. Furniture was strewn about inside, tossed about or smashed outright. It looked as if someone had taken a wrecking ball to the place.

"Damn," Reno muttered. It was hard to believe such destruction could have been accomplished by one person. But it really wasn't a person who had done this. Vincent couldn't have done damage like this by himself. It was obvious it had to have been the Chaos beast. Vincent must have transformed, that was obvious to all of them. Which did not bode well, which did not bode well at all, considering the reason behind what Lucrecia had been doing was to prevent that very thing.

"Put that away!" Elena said shrilly.

Reno turned and saw her staring at Rude, he stood nearby, his pistol in his hand.

Rude just stood there looking at Elena.

"What are you going to do, shoot him?" Elena said, her voice thick with emotion. "It's Vincent!"

No, that wasn't true, Reno thought. It was the Chaos beast, and they had no idea how he would react to their presence. Rude was right, he was only being cautious, but Reno knew Elena would never understand that. Now he was beginning to regret bringing her along. For her sake, he didn't want to hurt Vincent anymore than she did, but what would they do if the Chaos beast suddenly attacked them? They had to defend themselves, even if it meant hurting Vincent.

He was hoping they were blowing things out of proportion here somehow. It was obvious that Vincent had transformed, but that didn't mean he was still Chaos now. He was hoping that somewhere in the Mansion, or more likely somewhere nearby, they would find Vincent back to his old self. He knew that Vincent usually didn't remain Chaos for long. And even if he was still Chaos, that didn't mean he would attack them. Even as the beast Vincent still seemed to have some kind of control. He didn't attack his friends.

Still, they had to be prepared for the worst. Elena had said that she heard Lucrecia scream. That might not mean that Chaos attacked her, but it the most likely explanation, and if he had attacked Lucrecia, the woman he had loved all those years, who knows how he would react to anyone else?

In spite of all that, with a nod of his head he told Rude to acquiesce to Elena's request. If Elena was going to be with them at all, and he was certain she wouldn't let them leave her behind, then it would only make matters worse if they didn't appease her in this. Somehow they had to remain ready to fight without seeming to.

Rude slipped his gun back inside his jacket and they continued on their way.

The trail wasn't difficult to follow. The destruction led in a staight line directly to the stairway leading down to the basement, or rather, what was left of the stairway. There wasn't much. Looking down into the dark Reno could see about four intact steps and after that nothing but a dark gaping hole.

"Shit" he muttered.

The others came up behind them and stared down as well.

"Anyone bring a rope?" La Lai said after a moment.

No one answered.

"I'll go into town and get some," Rude finally spoke up. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode off.

Reno nodded. Lucrecia could down there somewhere, she could be hurt, but there wasn't anything else they could do.

"Hurry," Elena said.

"Maybe we should look outside," La Lai suggested. "I think it's pretty obvious that Vincent left."

From the trail of destruction, yeah, Reno thought. That was probably true. Vincent could be anywhere by now, but it wouldn't take long for Rude to get some rope, only a few minutes, and they wouldn't get anywhere in a search outside in that time. They needed to know what happened downstairs, and they needed to find Lucrecia.

"Rude should be back in a minute," he said. "We'll search outside afterward. We have to know what happened."

"I think its pretty obvious what happened," Yuffie spoke up. "Vincent flipped out and tore the place apart."

Reno saw Elena flinch.

"Shut up Yuffie," he snapped.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Do not speak to Miss. Yuffie in such an insolent manner," Ichiero spoke up.

Reno turned to the samurai.

"You shut up too," he growled, in no mood to be tolerant.

Ichiero put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You dare..."

"Oh snap out of it," Yuffie said, pushing Ichiero roughly aside. "I don't need you to fight my battles. And stop calling me Miss. Yuffie." She looked at Reno. "I'd say why don't we just settle this man to man, but it seems that neither of us qualify."

"Oh shut up you little twerp," Reno retorted. "You don't even qualify as a member of the human race."

"Uhh, people?" La Lai interrupted. "I don't think we really have time for this now."

Yuffie stood there for a moment, then she brushed past Reno and walked over to what was left of the stairway.

"You're right, we don't," she agreed. "You wussies can wait around here for a rope if you want, but I'm going down."

"Yuffie, there's no staircase," Elena pointed out.

"Pfff," Yuffie replied. "A ninja doesn't need a stupid staircase."

And with that, she leaped into the darkness below. The others ran up to the edge and looked down to see her scrambling down the shute, using both the wall and the remains of the stairs as hand and foot holds.

"Miss. Yuffie, wait for me!" Ichiero called out. A moment later he too leaped into the pit and followed her down.

Reno inched up until he stood on the very edge of the precipice, staring down into the dark, his fists clenched.

"Call me a wuss, will you?" he muttered.

Elena looked at him.

"Reno, don't."

For a moment he didn't move, and Elena almost thought he was going to listen to reason. She should have known better.

"Screw it," he proclaimed, and jumped.

He managed to reach out and grab hold of a post that was left over from the destruction of the stairs, bringing himself to a jarring halt and just missing being impaled by the remains of another post right beside the one he had a hold of. He looked down, but it was too dark to see more than a few feet. He couldn't see the bottom, but he could see more pieces of debris protruding from the walls at various places below him. Slowly he began to inch his way down.

It didn't take him long to realize this might not have been one of his best ideas. There were a number of places where he had to jump gaps between the wall protrusions and more than once he almost lost his grip and fell. Worse were the areas where there were no protrusion at all. At first he didn't know how to negotiate these gaps. He hadn't watched the other two go down, he didn't know which route they had taken. He didn't know if there was an easier way, but he didn't think he could make his way back up. The only way to go was down, whether by climbing or... other means.

A few cracks in the walls provided the only handholds he was going to get. Using these he somehow managed to get across one gap. Feeling quite proud of himself when the reached a second gap he approached it with more confidence. Perhaps as a result, he wasn't quite prepared when the stone of the wall under one handhold crumbled as soon as he put his weight on it.

His wild clawing at the wall availed him naught, and a moment later he found himself falling through the darkness, with no idea how far a drop he had before he hit bottom.

Fortunately for him it wasn't all that far. He landed on his rear end and back, and though it knocked the wind out of him and made his head spin for a moment, the fall didn't do him any serious damage.

His vision cleared to see the visage of Yuffie standing over him. She was bending over, her hands resting on her knees, looking down at him curiously.

"Where did you learn that? At the ninja school of plummeting?"

Suppressing a groan he hauled himself to his feet. Pretending he was dusting himself off, he tried to rub the soreness out of his back.

"I _meant_ to do that," he muttered.

"Yeah, okay," Yuffie replied. "C'mon, the lab is over here, that is, if you can still walk."

Growling an unintelligable reply Reno followed her down the corridor. About half way down they turned into a room on one side.

"Didn't have much of a chance to look around yet, but it's pretty much a mess," she said.

She was right. It was a mess, at least, what he could see of it. Being underground there were no windows, of course, and the lights were not on. The only light that filtered into the room was from the bulbs that hung from the ceiling in the hallway.

Reno nearly jumped out of his skin as Ichiero suddenly loomed up in front of him.

"Why don't you turn on the damn lights in here?" Reno snapped. "Or is wandering around in the dark some kind of ninja thing too?"

"As a matter of fact it is," Yuffie replied. "But not in this case. We tried the light switch. It doesn't work."

"Great," Reno muttered.

He walked over to the switch by the door and flicked it a few times. Yuffie gave him a sour look, then wandered off. Reno stood there for a moment then turned and walked out of the room. They might want to go searching the room in the dark but that wasn't his style. He needed some light.

He walked a little farther down the hall, into the library. This room seemed to have escaped Chao's wrath. He could see no damage. Again no lights were on, but there was a lamp on a small end table beside a reading chair. He walked over and clicked it on. Seeing that it was in working order, he unplugged it and walked with it back to the lab. He looked around as he walked in the door and vaguely made out Yuffie and Ichiero near the back of the room. As he was plugging the lamp in he heard a sudden intake of breathe from the samurai.

He clicked on the lamp, its light filling the room, and looked up to see Ichiero staring at something on the floor, but a long counter filled with lab equipment prevented him from seeing anything.

"What is it?" Reno questioned. "Find a rat?"

Yuffie was closer. She took a step toward Ichiero and stopped suddenly.

"Oh my Gawd."

The sound of her voice told Reno there wasn't anything as simple as a rat over there.

He walked rapidly over. As he came around the counter he saw something on the floor. It was a body.

"Lucrecia," he exhaled.

Ichiero was already beside her, stooped down. In a moment both Yuffie and Reno were beside him. Lucrecia was lying on her side, and from where he was Reno could only see the back of her head. She lay splayed on the floor. She wasn't moving. Pieces of glass from the lab equipment lay strewn around her and on top of her. There was blood on the floor underneath her.

Yuffie was on her knees beside the scientist. She reached out and shook Lucrecia's shoulder.

"Lucrecia, are you all right?" she said.

There was no response. Reno bent beside her. Yuffie looked up at him, then backed up, her hand coming up to her face.

Reno reached out and grabbed hold of Lucrecia's hand. It was ice cold. He could see no sign of her breathing. His fingers ran along her wrist searching for a pulse, an action that he knew inside himself would be futile. He had seen enough dead bodies in his lifetime to recognize one when he saw it.

"Is she..."

Yuffie's words hung in the air.

Reno could feel no pulse, just as he knew he wouldn't. No pulse. No breath. No warmth. He looked up at Yuffie and shook his head.

"Oh gawd," Yuffie said. She turned away, walking a few steps from them. Ichiero went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Reno slowly stood up. He looked around. Lucrecia was dead. He would never have believed it. This was worse than he had thought. Much worse.

They heard movement outside. A moment later Rude walked into the room, followed closely by Elena and La Lai.

"Vincent's not here," Rude said as soon as he entered. "He went through the town, leaving a trail of destruction behind him and headed off south. Three people were hurt pretty badly by him, but fortunately no one was killed..."

He stopped when he saw the look on their faces.

"That's... that's not exactly true," Reno said after a moment.

Seeing something was very wrong, the others walked forward, around the counter and into view of the body. Elena stopped and her face went white.

"Oh no," she said.

The other two just stood there. Rude looked at Reno, who gave a short shake of his head.

"Oh no, please no," Reno heard Elena say. Once more she sounded on the verge of hysteria. Reno really couldn't blame here this time. Lucrecia was dead, and Vincent had killed her. Lucrecia, the woman Vincent had been obsessed with. The woman he once would have done anything for. It was true, he may have lost some of that passion since, but it couldn't all have disappeared. He had to still have felt something for her. He certainly would never want to see her dead, yet she was, and by his own hand. Vincent had never attacked his friends. Even as the Chaos beast he had always had some sort of control, limited though it might be.

He could hear Elena crying now.

Now however, now he wasn't so sure. If Vincent had killed Lucrecia, then the beast must have more of a hold on him than he ever had before. It might even be possible that he was so much the Chaos beast now that Vincent could never regain control. If he went on the rampage, and from what had happened in town that seemed more than likely, they were going to have to stop him. Reno wasn't an expert on the Chaos beast, but he had seen the transformation a few times, been on the wrong end of it once or twice when he was working for Shinra, in fact, and he didn't relish the idea of a rematch. He had been hoping there was still some vestige of Vincent left, he was hoping that there would be some way they could still reason with the Chaos beast, but if he had killed Lucrecia then all bets were off. If he had killed his first love, then Reno didn't think there would be much chance of reasoning with him. If that were true, then just how were they going to stop him?

He shook his head slowly.

"Some hell of a mess this has turned out to be."


	13. They Blinded Me with Science

CHAPTER XIII

THEY BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE

"Are you hurt?"

Aeris did not reply right away. She had fully recovered from Grem's attack while still on their aircraft. The man had kept a watchful eye on her once they had landed, and she hadn't tried to escape again. It didn't seem an attempts to escape would be fruitful at the moment. All she could do was bide her time and wait for a better opportunity.

Grem had brought her here, though she wasn't all that sure where here was, exactly. The cabin she had been in in the aircraft had not had any windows. She hadn't been able to see out. The flight hadn't been very long, so she knew she couldn't be _too_ far away from there they had picked her up. They were in a Cetra city. The crystalline structure of the buildings and the soft greenish tinted glow of them made that obvious from the moment she had stepped out of the aircraft. If she didn't know they were miles away from Ifalnia, she might have thought they had somehow brought her there. She hadn't know there were any other Cetra cities left.

However, in spite of her curiosity, she hadn't had much time to look around. Grem had led her immediately into one of the buildings, into the very room she stood in now, in fact. It was a small conference room. A long table and chairs took up most of the room. She had tried the door as soon as Grem had left. It was locked. There were no windows.

She hadn't been alone for long however, when the door had opened once again and this man that she had not seen before entered. If he was human, she would have put him somewhere in his thirties. With a Cetra is was difficult to tell his actual age. She had a feeling he was a lot older than that. He had blonde hair and a rather angular face. His eyes were a deep brown, and she was immediately drawn to them. She wasn't exactly sure why. There was just something about them that was, well, mesmerizing was the only word she could think of. They made his face look so wise and so peaceful. Just by looking in them she got the impression she could trust this man, before he even said a word. That put her on guard.

"Why have you brought me here?"

"Be at ease," he replied, stepping closer. "No one is going to harm you. My name is Yonsin, and this is Dal'Otor, the ancient capital city of our people."

"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out, in no mood to be polite.

"Nor did you answer mine," he responded. "Even if you are not hurt, you must be tired and hungry from your recent travails. These last few days must have been difficult for you. If you wish to rest, you're welcome to use one of our sleeping quarters. Or if you need to eat, food can be provided."

"I'm fine," she said, rather abruptly. "Why am I here?"

"I see that curiosity has perhaps driven both hunger and rest from your mind. Understandable, I suppose. Very well, if you'll come with me?"

He walked over to the door and motioned for her to follow. After a moment, she did. They exited the room, turning in the opposite direction from the way she had originally come. He led her out of the building into the streets.

"Dal'Otor was once the greatest of the Cetra cities," he said. "Much larger than the city you now call Ifalnia. At it's height it was the greatest and most wondrous city on the face of the Planet. It was said a person could walk for a week and not reach from one end to the other. Alas, I'm afraid the city is but a poor shadow of that these days."

Aeris made no reply.

"There are few of us left now," Yonsin continued. "We only occupy a tiny portion of the city. The rest has fallen into disuse. Neglected. It is a shame really. However, I see a day when Dal'Otor is restored to it's former glory."

Again Aeris did not reply. She could tell from his voice this was something he was passionate about. She filed that under information she might need later on but showed no outward sign of interest. Frankly, she didn't care about how he felt about the city right now. It wasn't what she wanted to know.

Her lack of replies didn't seem to phase Yonsin.

"This way," he said.

He turned and they entered another building. This one seemed to be some kind of research center. They passed a number of rooms with what was obviously lab equipment in them, but that was all she could tell about it, and she had no idea of the purpose of most of it. A few of the other Cetra were there to, the first she had seen since her she had been brought here. She recognized at least one person from the airship, but the others she did not recognize.

They passed all those rooms, however, walking down a long flight of stairs. Another corridor opened before them. This was deserted, the few doors they passed closed. At the end of this hallway they came to another room. Yonsin opened the door and they entered. In the center of this room stood some kind of Cetra device and that took up most of the room. It was obvious that whatever this was that now stood before her, it was what Yonsin had brought her here to see. It reminded Aeris of some kind of strange pipe organ. Large tubes shot out of the top, ending at different heights. There were no keys, of course, but instead some kind of control panel in the front, covered with knobs that Aeris recognized as controls from the Cetra device they had seen on Grouchoon. The entire thing seemed to be made of some kind of fine crystal that glowed with an inner light.

"We call this the Amplifier," Yonsin announced. He glanced at Aeris as he said this, but she did not look impressed.

He stood there in silence for a moment, as if waiting for Aeris to ask a question, but she did not speak.

"We call it that because it will amplify and project the voice of whoever is using it through the lifestream to all other Cetra on the planet. To any Cetra who hear it, it will sound like the Voice of the Planet."

"The Voice of the Planet," Aeris said slowly, finally breaking her silence. "This has something to do with the Cetra children, doesn't it?"

"Yes. A new day is dawning for the Cetra. Jenova tried to destroy us with their virus, and they almost succeeded. For two thousand years we have been in a slow decline. Finally, however, that is about to change. The Jenova virus is dormant. There are few areas left where it is still endemic. It is gone from most places, because the Cetra are gone. All these years, we've been trying to find a cure, but we've been going about it wrong. The virus has faded, it is no longer a major threat. We believe the world can be safely repopulated, but there are too few of us left to do that. There is a new population of Cetra appearing in the world, but they come from human parents and will be raised in human households. They will be taught human culture and will forget their Cetra heritage. With the amplifier, however, we can reach them all, we can teach them of their true heritage without human interference."

Aeris didn't respond for a moment. She didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like the sound of that at all.

"The Cetra children," she finally said. "You had something to do with that, didn't you?"

"We engineered our own virus. It changes the genetic structure of a human child."

"Turning them into a Cetra," Aeris finished.

Yonsin nodded. Aeris face clouded.

"You're altering the genetic structure of human children without anyone's knowledge or consent? What gives you the right to do such a thing?"

"We have every right."

"You have _no_ right!" Aeris snapped. "It was bad enough when the Cetra messed around with their own genetic structure. That's what spawned Jenova in the first place! Jenova nearly destroyed you because of your own foolishness and what have you learned? Didn't that teach you anything? So now you're messing around with another species? It was bad enough when we played God with our own people, now you want to do it with another?"

For a moment a look of anger flashed across Yonsin's face, but it vanished almost immediately.

"You have no idea of what you speak," he told her. "The human race is an aberration. Ten thousand years ago there was no human race, there was only Cetra. When we first came here there were some who rejected the Cetra ways. The Planet was wild and dangerous back then. They split apart from the Cetra, refusing to participate in our fight to tame this world, even though they were quick enough to reap the benifits when the opportunity arose. They forsook Cetra culture and turned to their own ways. Eventually they devolved into what you now call the human race."

"Why do you think Cetra and human DNA appear the same? Why do you think Ceta and humans can interbreed? It is because the human race is a pale reflection of the Cetra. Those Cetra who split apart, they made a mistake. It was not meant to be. Humans and Cetra are one. They always have been. We haven't played God with another species, we are the same species. The humans would return to the Cetra eventually. It is inevitable. We're just speeding up the process. We're returning them to what they should be. They shouldn't fight it, they should thank us for it."

"Thank you for destroying their race, their culture?" Aeris retorted. "You're not returning them to what they should be, you're committing genocide!"

Yonsin frowned. She was being much more difficult than he had hoped. Still, it was a bit much to take in.

"Perhaps from your narrow viewpoint that may seem true," he replied. "Good ideas are not always obvious the moment you see them. Sometime it takes time to fully understand something."

"That's nonsense," Aeris replied. "What, you think if you keep me here long enough I'll change my mind? Is that why you brought me here? You knew I would hear when you spoke to the Cetra children. You knew I would tell the humans the truth."

"We can't let them interfere!" Yonsin replied.

"Why not? It's _their_ children you're talking about! They have a right to raise them as they see fit, Cetra or no. If this is so good for them, why are you forcing it upon them without their knowledge? Why didn't you just go to them and give them a choice, why didn't you let them make up their own minds?"

"They're humans," Yonsin replied. "They wouldn't understand. They're... misguided."

"Misguided? _Misguided_? You're experimenting with their genetics, knowing full well what happened the first time the Cetra tried that on themselves, and you have the gall to call _them_ misguided?"

Yonsin just looked at her for a moment. It was plain he wasn't satisfied with her attitude, but she didn't care. How could they not see that what they were doing was wrong?

"I was hoping you would be more... understanding," he finally said. "We have a place for you to stay. You will be quite comfortable. Do me at least this one favor and promise to think about what I've told you. We're not monsters. We're not doing anything more than ensuring the continuation of our race."

At the expense of another. Aeris thought that but she said nothing. There was no point. It was obvious she wasn't going to convince him anymore than he was going to convince her.

"I'm a prisoner," it was more statement than question.

"We cannot allow you to leave, but I would prefer if you thought of yourself as a guest rather than a prisoner."

"It's hard to think of myself as a guest when I'm locked in a room and there are people watching me all the time when I'm out," she replied, staring at Grem, who was standing in the shadows in the hallway behind them, as she spoke.

"I'm sorry if you wish to look at it that way, but it is a necessary precaution," Yonsin replied. He didn't show any surprise at her having spotted the other man. "We mean you no harm, but we will not allow you to warn the humans. Hopefully as time passes, you will see the error of your ways."

Aeris said nothing more. There was no point to it. She now knew at least why she was here, and what the Cetra were up to. Yonsin obviously thought there was hope that in time she would come around to their point of view. She knew that would never happen, but wondered briefly it if might be better to play along. If she could win their trust, perhaps it would give her a better opportunity to escape. They didn't seem anxious to kill her, but that might change if they became convinced she would never come around to their point of view. It would be difficult to keep her here indefinitely against her will.

Of course, even if she played along, they weren't going to start trusting her anytime soon. It was obvious that Grem at least did not trust her at all. She was sure Yonsin didn't either, although he wasn't so obvious about it. She wasn't even sure if she could pull something like that off. She didn't know if they would believe her if she pretended to go along. It wasn't really in her nature to try to deceive people like that. She had a feeling they would see right through her. She would just have to play it by ear and see what developed.

They left the building and returned to the previous one. This time they did not return to the room she had been in but instead Yonsin led her upstairs into an area that held living quarters. He ushered her into one of the rooms.

"You should be quite comfortable here," he told her. "If you need anything, just call out. Someone will not be far away."

Yonsin looked at her for a moment, as if waiting for some kind of response, but Aeris did not reply. Finally, with a shrug, the closed the door. Aeris heard the lock click a moment later.

As Yonsin walked down the hall away from the room Grem came up beside him.

"I told you. She won't join us. She's too far gone. She's been contaminated by the humans."

"I'm not convinced of that," Yonsin replied. "Just let her spend some time with her own people, then we'll see."

"We are not her own people. She's half human. She isn't one of us."

"Yes she is," Yonsin answered, sounding irritated. "Humans are weak. You know that as well as I do. Given time and the proper training her Cetra side will dominate."

"And what if it doesn't? You know we can't afford to let her go. She knows too much now. What are you going to do if she doesn't change her mind, if she opposes us?"

"I don't know yet," Yonsin replied. "I don't think it will come to that. She'll see it our way. She has to."

"But what if she doesn't?" Grem persisted. "What if she tries to escape."

"Then it's up to you to stop her, now isn't it?" Yonsin responded. "Without killing her."

"That may not be possible."

"I won't have anymore Cetra deaths!" Yonsin said sharply. "Marlek has already been killed. Now you want to kill Aeris too? There are so few of us left, every Cetra life is precious."

"You forget the children," Grem stated. "The project is going exceptionally well. There are already more of us now than there have been in a hundred years."

"Yes, and they are all infants," Yonsin pointed out. "They need adult Cetra to teach them, otherwise they will be lost."

"With the amplifier, it only takes one Cetra to teach them."

Yonsin ran his hand through his hair and glared at his companion.

"So what would you have me do, kill Aeris? What about Dalliana and Temerico? They've both voiced misgivings about this entire project. Should we kill them too? Have we fallen that far into barbarity? If so then perhaps Aeris is right."

"I'm not talking about wanton slaughter," Grem replied. "But we both know this project is bigger than any one person. We're talking about nothing less than the survival of our race here. We can't let any one person, no matter who they are, to stand in the way of that."

"So the ends justifies the means? Is that what you're saying? You know as well as well as I do where that path leads."

"No, what I'm saying is, in war casualties are unavoidable."

"We're not at war."

"Yes we are, a war for our own survival. You know that as well as I do. You've already proven that to me. In spite of your protests, you didn't go to the others when I told you I had killed Marlek. You didn't give me away, you couldn't afford to. You knew what that would do to the project. You were willing to cover it up. And don't tell me you weren't willing to see Aeris eliminated as well, if it could be done without too much fuss and none of the others found out. I'm not talking about getting rid all the others, just her. Dalliana and Temerico might not be behind us one hundred percent but you and I both know they'll go along with whatever we decide. We both know they'll toe the line. I don't think Aeris will do that, no matter how much you try to convince her, or how long you keep her here. She's a threat, Yonsin. A threat."

"Perhaps she is, but I'm not convinced of that, and until I am I want her alive. Do you understand me?"

For a moment they just looked at one another. There was nothing ambiguous about what Yonsin had just said. He wanted to be very clear this time exactly what he wanted. Grem seemed to be using a lot of his own initiative lately, too much so, in fact. He was becoming harder and harder to control. Grem made no attempt to disguise his ambitions. He wanted to be in charge. Yonsin had no doubts the man would turn against him as soon as it became in his best interest to do so. Knowing that, Yonsin had been tempted to jettison the man. Unfortunately that was not possible. They both had too much invested in this project to turn on the other. He had needed Grem's support to get the project going, but Yonsin was still the leader, he was the one who had the backing of most of the others. They had to work as a team or they would never succeed. He just hoped Grem realized that.

"As you wish," Grem replied. "I'll leave her alone. For now."

Yonsin nodded.

"What about this human she was with?"

"What about him?" Grem asked.

"You told me he has the Jenova virus. Could he be a threat to us?"

"He's a human," Grem said dismissively. "He's out there in the woods somewhere, alone. He doesn't know where we are, and even if he did, he couldn't get in. He'll probably just wander around until he dies of starvation. He is inconsequential."

Yonsin said nothing for a moment. Grem knew more about the humans than any of them. He was the one who had studied them, who had been off the island and among them more than any of the others. If he thought the man was no threat, then he probably wasn't.

Still, Yonsin suspected that the humans were a bit more resourceful than Grem gave them credit for.

* * *

"Red! Thank God you're here."

The large red beast nodded to Elena as he walked into the lab. It was still a mess, though Lucrecia's body had been removed. Rude stood beside Lucrecia, while Lai Li sat at a nearby table, a pile of notes and slides heaped in front of her in a space on the table that had been cleared of debris. Reno, Yuffie and Ichiero had left to look for Vincent in the surrounding area.

"Well, I got here as fast as I could," he replied. He had important duties to attend to in Cosmo Canyon, but when he had gotten the call from Yuffie and found out what had happened in Nibelhiem he had left immediately. Nipala was there, after all. She had wanted to come with him, but he had convinced her to stay. He was slowly teaching her the ways of the canyon, and what it meant to be a protector. It would be good training for her to run things while he was away for a while, something she would need if she was going to take her rightful place beside him.

"What have you found out so far?" he questioned.

"Not a hell of a lot," Rude said. "Lai Li has been looking over Lucrecia's notes, but she hasn't been able to tell us much."

"Hey, I'm working on it," he heard Lai Li comment from over by the table.

"Yes she is, but she's a linguist, not a scientist," Rude said. "This is not her area of expertise."

"Well it's hard to tell anything with this place being in such a wreck," Lai Li stated as Red walked over to her. "How much do you know about what Lucrecia was doing?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid," Red replied. "Lucrecia was using some kind of cocktail of drugs to try to purge the Jenova cells from within Vincent's body and obviously something went very wrong. That's pretty much my entire understanding of the situation."

"You can say that again," Lai Li nodded. "Fortunately Lucrecia kept meticulous records, most of which are still intact." She shuffled through the papers in front of her for a moment. "Everything seemed to be going fine. The percentage of aberrant cells was steadily declining, that is, until the last specimen taken. Take a look at this."

She placed a slide under the microscope then got out of the way. Red stood up on his hind legs, resting his front paws on the counter in front of him, and looked into the microscope.

"That's from day before yesterday," Lai Li told him. "As you can see the slide has quadrants marked off on it. The Jenova cells can be distinguished from the normal one's by the deeper purple color of the chromatin inside the nucleus. According to Lucrecia's notes, the Jenova cells make up approximately thirty six percent of the total cells there."

"I would estimate it is closer to forty percent," Red replied.

"I came up with thirty nine," Lai Li said. "I suspect Lucrecia was suffering from overwork, or perhaps stress. Her earlier counts were much more accurate, but the difference is still not enough to significantly affect the experiment. Anyway, the count the first day was forty eight percent, so you can see their was a total decline of nine percentage points. However, look at the slide from the last day."

She removed the slide he had been looking at and replaced it with another. Red squinted at it for a few moments.

"The percentage has gone up," he said finally.

"Yes, to sixty two percent," Lai Li agreed. "It was dropping steadily a few percentage points per day, and then suddenly shot up twenty three percentage points in one day. That must have been what set off the episode, but so far I haven't been able to determine a cause."

Red stared at the slide for a bit longer.

"Wait a moment," he said, turning toward Lai Li. "Let me see that other slide again."

Lai Li obediently replaced the slide with the one that had been on the microscope. Red looked at it for a few moments.

"Hmm," he said finally.

"Hmm? What does that mean?" Lai Li asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Red answered. "Do you have an earlier slide?"

"I've got them all," Lai Li replied, indicating a group of slides stacked nearby.

"Let me see an earlier one."

Lai Li sorted through the pile and picked up another one.

"Here's one from the first day."

She put that one on the microscope and Red examined it.

"Interesting," he commented.

"What's interesting?" Lai Li asked. "What have you found?"

"Take a look," Red offered.

Lai Li replaced him in front of the microscope. She stared at the slide. She had already looked at it and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing did this time either.

"What am I looking for?" she questioned.

"Notice the size and placement of the vacuoles and the thickness of the membrane surrounding the nucleus."

"All right," Lai Li said slowly.

"Now look at the slide from the last day again," Red said.

Lai Li did as she was told. She stared at the new slide, a frown slowly forming on her face.

"They're different," she finally said.

"Exactly," Red replied.

"But, how can that be?"

"I don't know."

"What is it? What are you talking about?" Elena spoke up. She had pulled herself together in the time it had taken Red to get there. As best she could, anyway.

Red turned toward her.

"The Jenova cells inside of Vincent changed somehow inside of him over the course of this experiment. It's as if they... mutated."

"Yeah, except cells don't just spontaneously mutate," Lai Li stated. "Changes in DNA usually take place during transcription or recombination."

"Not completely correct," Red said. "DNA changes have been known to occur spontaneously in non germ cells if they're exposed to some kind of outside influence, to a radiation source of some kind, for instance."

"Yes, but the changes are random, and don't affect every cell," Lai Li countered. "This seems to have affected every single cell, and the change is exactly the same in each case. It's like these cells arose from one germ line, a different one from the cells of just a few days before. How can that possibly be?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Would you please speak English!" Elena pleaded.

"In layman's terms," Red said, then paused for a moment. "Okay, you have humans and you have frogs. A human can't spontaneously turn into a frog, right?"

Elena just stood there for a moment, then nodded.

"Well, on a cellular level, that's more or less what the Jenova cells in Vincent have done. They've mutated almost overnight. Usually a change like that takes many generations."

Red stopped, looking at Elena. She shook her head.

"Okay, but what does it _mean_?"

"That is the big question, isn't it?" Red replied.

"It's almost like..." Lai Li began. Elena turned toward her.

"Almost like what?"

"Almost like... they're defending themselves," Lai Li finished.

"Defending themselves?" Red inquired. "You mean the Jenova cells?"

"Yes. I know it sounds like nonsense, and it's certainly a simplification but it could explain the why if not the how. Look, Lucrecia gives Vincent her drug. It's toxic to the Jenova cells. They begin to die. Somehow they realize this is occurring, so they fight back. They change their genetic structure, change it to something that is resistant to the drug, perhaps even something that can use the drug to it's own advantage. That would explain why there was a sudden increase in Jenova cells."

"Lai Li, you realize you're talking about cells as if they're sentient," Red said.

"Yes. I'm not saying that's the exact mechanism. Think of it more as an analogy. Even so, it may not be far from the truth. We are talking about Jenova cells, after all. We don't know what kind of properties they may have, we don't know how different from human they are. This might even explain why those who have Jenova cells in them can exhibit the polymorphism they seem to show. Still, no matter how it happened, if the cells developed a resistance, the drug would no longer be effective."

"Well, I can't deny that it's within the realm of possibility, though I have to admit it seems a bit far fetched," Red said. "Still, it's something to work with, and a theory doesn't necessarily have to be exactly right to be useful."

"So what can we do?" Elena asked. They had lost her once more with their scientific talk. She just wanted to know what had to be done.

Red and Lai Li exchanged glances, but neither of them had a ready answer.

"I'm not sure," Red said finally. "If Lai Li is right, then the drug is no longer useful, in fact, giving him more might make things even worse."

"I don't see how they could get any worse," Elena said resignedly.

"Well, the drug did work for a while," Red pointed out. "Until the Jenova cells mutated. A slight change in the DNA of the Jenova cells rendered the drug impotent. Perhaps we can use the same tactic. A slight alternation in the drug might make it effective once more."

"I don't know," Lai LI said. "We don't know the exact mechanism the drug used. We don't know it's point of attack on the Jenova cell. We could play around with the ingredients all we wanted and get nowhere."

"We have Lucrecia's notes," Red responded. "They should tell us most of what we need to know, or at least point us in the right direction."

"Even if we do get the drug to work again, we'd be stuck with the same problem. How do we know the Jenova cells wouldn't just mutate one more time?"

"Yes, there is that," Red said slowly.

"So what are we going to do?" Elena asked, beginning to feel more and more frustrated. They kept on and on with their mumbo jumbo, and yet they seemed no closer to actually doing anything than they had been before.

They both looked at Elena for a moment.

"We don't know," Red finally said. "We just don't have enough information yet. The first thing we need to do is to verify for sure that the drug no longer works. If that is indeed the case then the first order of business would be to find a way to make it effective once again. Even if we do that we'd have to start administering the new drug to Vincent, and we'd obviously have to find him before we can do that. And even if we accomplish all that, we don't know if the Jenova cells will merely mutate once again and make the new drug useless."

Red realized if Elena was looking for any kind of reassurance, that wasn't going to give it to her, but what else could he say, it was the truth.

"So you don't know if we can use the drug, you don't know if we can make a new one if this one doesn't work, and we don't even know where Vincent is."

Red just looked at her. There wasn't any question in what she just said that he could answer. He wished he could give her something more, some kind of hope.

"The problems may not be insurmountable," was all he could think of to say.

To his surprise Elena laughed at that. It was laughter tinged with hysteria, however.

"May not be insurmountable! You make it sound so... cold. We're not talking about some kind of scientific calculation here, we're talking about Vincent. I told him not to come here. I told him not to listen to her, but he wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't listen and now look what's happened. Is there really any hope? Any at all?"

"Of course there is," Lai Li spoke up. "We just need to know more. Look how much we've learned already. We know the Jenova cells mutated. We know what caused the problem, and knowing the cause is half way to knowing the solution."

Red nodded, but Elena did not look much comforted. Red felt bad for her, but there didn't seem to be much he could do except try to find a solution as quickly as possible. Right now it was more important to find a cure than to comfort her.

Another thought occurred to him.

"Perhaps Lucrecia was going about it the wrong way," he said.

"What do you mean?" Lai Li questioned.

"We know for a fact the drug worked, at least for a while," Red replied. "The percentage of Jenova cells did decline."

Lai Li did not respond, waiting for him to continue.

"Lucrecia administered the drug slowly over a period of days. The Jenova cells mutated at a faster rate than anyone would think possible, but it has a limit. If not they would have changed immediately. They would have become resistant in a day, not a week. It took them a little bit of time to react. If we could kill off all the cells before they had time to adapt..."

"What are you suggesting, giving Vincent a massive dose of the drug?" Lai Li questioned.

"Yes," Red replied. "Lucrecia gave him the drug in small doses, thus giving the Jenova cells time to adapt. If we can make the drug effective again and give him one large dose, we may be able to kill off all the Jenova cells at once."

"You realize that Lucrecia gave him the drug in small doses because she didn't know what effect a large dose would have on him. Looking at her notes it seems the drug had some rather serious side effects," Lai Li said.

There discussion was interrupted as Reno, Yuffie and Ichiero walked into the room.

"Vincent headed off to the north," Reno said. "We tracked him to the foothills of the mountain pass but then we came back. From the tracks we saw he's still the Chaos beast. He's not likely to cause much harm up there, and we wanted to know if you'd found out anything."

"He won't cause any harm in the mountains, but it might be a different story once he gets through them," Red said. "With the percentage of Jenova cells inside him, I'm not surprised he is still Chaos. I don't know if he even has the ability to change back anymore. From what he did here, we have to consider him extremely dangerous."

He glanced at Elena as he said this, but she showed no reaction.

"It looks like the drug Lucrecia was giving him is no longer effective. Lai Li and I will stay here to try to see if we can make a new one that will work and plot a strategy for administering it. I suggest the rest of you go after Vincent and try to prevent him from hurting anyone else."

"And just how are we supposed to do that?" Yuffie questioned.

"I'll leave that up to you," Red said not particularly helpfully. "We'll have our hands full here trying to find a way to fix the drug. When we do we may have to give him one massive dose."

"And you think that'll cure him?" Reno asked.

Red shrugged.

"We don't know. There's a good chance it'll either cure him or kill him."


	14. The Ancient City

CHAPTER XIV

THE ANCIENT CITY

"Are we ready to go?"

Cloud looked at the others. Dawn had just broken outside, the light of the early morning sun filtering in through the cavern entrance. Even so all of them were already up. The anxiety to be on their way coupled with the excitement of what lay ahead, not to mention the fact that the cave floor wasn't all that comfortable, had left them with only fitful snatches of sleep at best. Tifa stretched, adjusted her gloves, and nodded.

"Ready as we'll ever be, I suppose," Reeve said.

Cloud looked at the Cetra Sage.

"So which way do we go?"

The Cetra Sage nodded toward the back of the cavern.

"We can get through from back there," he stated. "It's a long and twisting route into the city. We go mostly down from here."

He walked over to the fire and picked up a faggot of wood from the small stockpile beside it.

"I suggest we each take some wood for torches along with us," he said. "Once we get to the city the Cetra glow will light the way, but the caves leading to it are long and utterly dark. We will need some light."

The others followed suit as the Cetra Sage lit the end of his makeshift torch.

"All right then, let's get going," Cloud said when they were all equipped.

As the Cetra Sage started to lead them away Tifa spoke up.

"Excuse me, Mr. Sage? Do you have a real name?" Cloud had been with the man since yesterday and had not thought to ask that question for some reason.

"I mean, it's kind of awkward calling you Mr. Sage," Tifa continued after a moment.

The Cetra Sage just stood there. He seemed to ponder this for a long time. Cloud found that curious.

"I've gone by many names," the man said eventually. "You can call me... Dannin. Yes, Dannin should do."

Without further discussion he led them into a narrow passage at the back of the cavern. After just a short time they found themselves forced to move in single file. The Cetra Sage led the way, followed by Cloud. His sword was still slung over his back, but he could have it out in an instant. His eyes scanned the way in front of them looking for any sign of trouble. Tifa came behind him, walking nimbly yet silently, a look of resolution on her face. Reeve followed lastly, acting as rearguard.

Before long the trail began to lead steeply downward. In addition to that the walls began to get damp and soon they found their hands coming away wet whenever they touched the wall. If slippery walls weren't bad enough, as they progressed water began to drip down the walls to form pools and rivulets on the ground beneath them, making keeping their footing on the steep slope difficult and forcing them to move more slowly than they would have liked.

Cloud wasn't sure how long they proceeded, all he knew was that it seemed like hours with no change in the passage around them. The tunnel branched at intervals, splitting off into the darkness, sometimes in a few directions at once. The Cetra Sage seemed to know where he was going, turning down each path without hesitation. Cloud wondered how he could so sure. Everything down here looked the same to him, but he didn't question it.

Even though it was downhill and they were going slowly, the fact that they had to watch their step so carefully made it fatiguing, perhaps more mentally than physically. Still, Cloud could hear Tifa panting softly behind him now, and looking back Reeve seemed just as tired. Cloud wasn't exactly in tip top shape himself. He was still a bit weak from his illness. He looked forward again. He could only see the Cetra Sage's back, yet to his surprise the man did not seem fatigued at all. He didn't exactly give the impression of a spring chicken, yet it was obvious there was a lot more to the man than appeared. Cloud had a feeling Dannin would be able to keep this pace up indefinitely if he was by himself.

Still, the passage was narrow and wet, hardly the best conditions for taking a break. No one looked ready to collapse from exhaustion just yet. Perhaps they would find a more suitable place to rest up ahead.

Eventually the ground did level off in front of them. Cloud breathed a silent sigh of relief at this event. He had feared the whole way down the slope someone was going to slip and fall. Had that happened it would have difficult to stop, and if someone fell behind him, they could take the whole party down with them.

That, however, did not happen. Once or twice one of them had lost their balance and slid forward, but they had always managed to right themselves in time, whether though their own efforts or with a helping hand from one of the others and no disaster occurred.

At least, not yet. There was still plenty of time for that, Cloud thought.

The passage had become more or less level, but the dampness remained. In fact, it became more pronounced at they proceeded. The rivulets of water beneath their feet coalesced into a stream, soon coming up almost to their ankles. There was no way to avoid it, it covered the floor beneath them, and the passage was still as narrow as it had been before. It was deep enough so that their walking splashed some up where it seeped into their shoes and boots, and soon wet feet was added to the list of things that were annoying them.

After a while Tifa stopped suddenly.

"What's that sound?"

"What sound?"

"Listen."

They came to a halt. No longer splashing through the water the sound was easy to hear.

"It's water," Dannin announced. "Running water."

"Great," Reeve muttered from the back. "We're not going to run into a river, are we?"

"Actually yes," the Cetra Sage replied, glancing back at them. "But don't worry, we can go around it. We won't be doing any swimming."

They started forward once again. The sound quickly grew until it was unmistakable. Eventually, and quite suddenly, the tunnel opened up into a huge chamber, so large they couldn't see either the ceiling nor the far wall in the feeble light of the Cetra Sage's torch. The sound of the water was so loud now that it impeded speech, and it was easy to see why. A torrent of water cascaded down the rock face to their right, falling from some unknown height above. Striking the rocks as it fell, it send out a spray of mist that wet their faces and filled the air around them. At the base of the rock face the water formed a pool that filled most of the chamber. A narrow path of rock led along side it into the darkness to their left. The water in the lake foamed and bubbled where the water cascaded into it, but farther away it was calm. A dim green glow illuminated the lake from below.

Tifa stared down into the water.

"What's that light?" she asked.

"I don't know," Dannin replied. "Although it looks similar to the glow given off by the Cetra buildings, I don't think it's related. The Cetra did not live in this area. I believe it's some kind of indigenous life form, a small animal or a plant."

Tifa would have stopped to admire the view, but Dannin quickly urged them on, afraid that the misty air would douse the torch and leave them in darkness. He led them toward the far end of the chamber.

At first Cloud couldn't see where they were going. From where they entered, it looked like the lake went all the way to the far wall, but as they got closer he saw there was a low opening in the rock face ahead through which the water drained out of the lake, and indeed, the chamber itself. Cloud looked at the passage ahead distastefully. Before the passage had been narrow, in some places leaving them barely enough room to squeeze through. Now, however, they were going to be cramped in the opposite dimension. This passage was wide and low. Only Tifa was able to walk through it without stooping, and even she had to be careful for the ceiling was uneven.

The outflow of he lake ran along beside them, filling most of the tunnel, but there was a band of solid ground on the left side they could walk on. The Cetra Sage extinguished his torch, for the light still emanated from the water that flowed beside them. The water was shallower here and Cloud could see the rocky bottom. He stared down at it trying to distinguish just where the light originated, but he could see nothing out of the ordinary. As far as he could tell, it was the stone at the bottom of the river itself that was aglow.

The floor was no longer wet, but their shoes were still soggy with moisture. Cloud could feel his feet squishing in the water in his shoes with every step. That plus the lower ceiling made this portion of the chamber even more uncomfortable than they had been on the way down. Before continuing much father Cloud suggested they stop for a break and Dannin agreed. The first thing they all did was sit down and pull off their shoes to drain the water out of them.

"Two bad we can't start a fire," Reeve muttered, looking at his wet footwear. Cloud nodded. They all knew they didn't have enough wood for that. The Cetra Sage had told them the journey would take at least a day, and perhaps quite a bit longer depending on what kind of obstacles they encountered. He had filled a pouch hanging from his belt with some food that he had gathered recently, and now he broke it out for anyone who might be hungry. There wasn't much, and it was all fruits and vegetables. Not really Cloud's kind of meal, but it was better than nothing. Dannin hadn't brought much, but he said they would be able to forage once they reached the old Cetra city. Cloud hadn't forgotten the warning about their being fauna down there too. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to run into something. Who knows, it might be edible.

After eating her fill, Tifa sat down by the river looking down into the slow moving water. She let her hand dangle in the current. Cloud slid over beside her.

"How's the water?"

"Cold," she replied. "I wonder what makes that glow?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I was looking before but I don't see anything except the bottom."

Tifa didn't reply, just stared at the water below, making little ripples with her hand.

"When we get to the city, it's going to be up to you and Reeve to get Aeris out," Cloud said.

Tifa said nothing, just shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I don't even know why I'm along," Cloud continued. "I'll be a danger just being near Aeris. Perhaps I should have stayed behind."

Tifa looked up at him. Cloud had been more anxious to get going than any of them. Was he just looking for some reassurance?

"You wouldn't have stayed behind," she said simply.

Cloud returned her gaze for a moment, then nodded.

"I guess not," he admitted. "That doesn't... bother you, does it?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I do care about Aeris a lot. You know that. I'm always running off to protect her. If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be in this mess. You're not like, jealous or anything, are you?"

Tifa looked surprised. Cloud had never asked her anything like that before.

"I guess..." she began slowly. "I guess I'll always be a little jealous of Aeris. She's so pretty and personable. She's so much more open with her feelings than I can be. I don't know, she can walk into a room and brighten it with her mere presence."

She fell silent, giving him a sort of wistful look then turning to look down at the water again.

Cloud reached out and touched her arm.

"Teef..."

She gave a quick shake of her head.

"No, it's okay. We're just different people, that's all. I understand that. I don't begrudge you coming here, or I or Reeve. I want to see her rescued as much as you do Cloud. She's my best friend."

Cloud looked at her for a moment more, then nodded.

"Well, that's good, cause I'm just along for the ride on this one.

"Okay so you can't help Aeris directly. That doesn't mean you'll be useless."

"Yeah, maybe I can scare the other Cetra away, thinking I'll give them the plague."

"That's if they even know you have it," Tifa replied.

"True."

"So you can create a diversion for us," Tifa continued. "Start up a ruckus somewhere to keep their attention. You're pretty good at that sort of thing."

"Are you saying I'm a troublemaker?" he questioned.

"Are you saying you're not?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," he replied after a moment.

"Besides, we're not at the Cetra city yet," Tifa said. "Dannin said we might run into all kinds of trouble on the way there. We may need you to help us get through."

"So I'm reduced to causing trouble and chopping up a few monsters that get in the way," Cloud stated, sounding very unimpressed.

"Oh stop. You may not have always been right in the head, but when it comes to fighting we know we can always count on you. How many times have you saved one us at one time or another, or all of us at once? Well all depend on you. Hey, you know how I swoon over that big sword of yours."

Cloud looked at her for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. Tifa frowned, then, realizing what she had said, turned a deep shade of red.

"I didn't mean it that way!" she protested. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Cloud Strife!"

"Hey, you're the one who said it, not me!" he returned.

Tifa looked at him for a moment but didn't deign to reply. She had to admit it was good to see him laugh though. He had been so morose lately. They both had actually. Not that they didn't have good reason.

"Hey, what's that?" she asked.

"What's what?"

"That right there," Tifa said, pointing to the bottom of the river with her hand that was in the water.

Cloud bent closer.

"I don't see anyth..."

Her hand suddenly jerked up, splashing him in the face. She rolled away and onto her feet, scooting away from him.

"Hey!" Cloud sputtered, shaking his head, the water dripping from his face.

Tifa stopped when she reached the far wall, turning to look at him, a grin on her face.

"I'll get you for that!" Cloud threatened.

She clasped her hands behind her back, lifting one foot behind her to tap her toe lightly on the ground. She tilted her head and looked at him.

"Who? Li'l ole me?" she said innocently.

"Yes you!" Cloud growled, but with a smile on his face. "And don't try to give me that innocent routine. I know you better."

"Why I don't know what you mean," she replied.

"Well, you seem to have recovered your energy quickly enough," the Cetra Sage spoke up, getting to his feet. "Shall we proceed?"

Cloud nodded, getting up as well.

"All right, let's get going then," Reeve rejoined. "And who knows, maybe we can find something for Cloud to use his big sword for other than making Tifa swoon."

"Oh shuddap!" Tifa retorted, smacking him playfully in the back of the head.

At they proceeded things seemed to go downhill, though not in a literal sense this time. The ceiling above their head slowly sank down lower, and soon even Tifa had to stoop. For a while they had to almost drop down on their hands and knees to get through, which slowed their progress to barely more than a crawl. Reeve asked Dannin how bad it was going to get and the Cetra Sage told them it would get better ahead. Even so, making their way through the cramped space almost made Cloud fond of the slippery steep passage they had traversed earlier.

However, as the Cetra Sage had said, the tunnel soon widened, the ceiling lifting up above them and soon they could all stand once more. The passage had resumed it's downhill slope, though not nearly as sharply as before. For the first time, they started to make good time through the tunnels.

Eventually they parted ways with the river, turning off into a side tunnel and Dannin had to once more light his torch. From here they found themselves in a maze of tunnels, coming across branches leading off in different directions practically every few steps. They seemed to go on and on for hours. Twice more they stopped to rest before continuing. All the tunnels looked alike to Cloud, and it often seemed to him they were just going in circles. Indeed, a few times the Cetra Sage had stopped at a juncture, looking carefully in all directions before proceeding, as if unsure of the way. Cloud hoped he knew what he was doing. The place seemed huge, someplace they could wander around in for days or weeks without finding their way out if they got lost.

Finally, after traveling for many hours Cloud saw a glimmer of the familiar Cetra glow in front of them. It rapidly grew and after just a short time they emerged from the tunnel into another chamber and found themselves on the outskirts of the ancient Cetra city.

It wasn't much different from Ifalnia, or the City of the Ancients, as it had been called before it had been repopulated, though somehow Cloud got the impression this place was much older. The dim Cetra glow was the same, as was the odd crystalline structure of the buildings. They couldn't see very far. The glow of the buildings wasn't very bright. Dannin had told them this had been the capital city of the Cetra, that it was the greatest of the Cetra cities, but from where they stood they could only see a small portion, they couldn't grasp the full grandeur of the place, or the grandeur it once might have had. So the only difference from Ifalnia that was obvious from where they stood was the fact that most the buildings around them seemed to be overgrown with some sort of vine like plant.

The Cetra Sage led them among the buildings. Tifa inspected the plants growing up around one of the buildings as they passed by. The flora that grew around Ifalnia was different from anything she had ever seen. Indeed, she could remember quite well the awe the forest around the Ancients City had inspired in her when she had first laid eyes upon it. The plants there had had an otherworldly feel to them, and if anything, that feeling was even stronger now. She had taken walks in the forest around Ifalnia with Aeris sometimes, looking at the plants and categorizing them. Aeris had known most of them but a few she hadn't, and had always been delighted upon finding something new. Tifa thought she would be overcome with rapture to see this place. None of the plants here resembled what they had seen around Ifalnia, which surprised her. She thought she'd find the same plants around any Cetra city.

"I don't recognize any of these plants," she said.

"Not surprising," the Cetra Sage replied. "Most of the flora and fauna you'll find here are unique to this city."

"Yeah, well, I'm more interested in the fauna than the flora," Cloud stated, fingering the hilt of his sword.

"As well you should be," Dannin responded.

Tifa stopped for a moment and reached out to touch one of the leaves of a nearby plant. Almost immediately she pulled her hand back.

"Ouch!"

"What is it?" Cloud said sharply.

She grimaced then showed him her hand. Blood seeped from one of her fingers.

"The edges of the leaves are sharp," she told him. "They're like glass."

"You cut yourself," Cloud said slowly, feeling panic suddenly welling up in him. "Dannin, could the Jenova plague be down here too?"

The Cetra Sage looked thoughtful for a moment.

"There's no way to really tell," he replied. "It's possible, although as I mentioned to you it is rare. The chances of both of you becoming infected are infinitesimal."

That reassured Cloud, but not much. Their luck hadn't been the greatest in the world of late. If Tifa caught the virus, Zangan would be without both his parents.

Tifa was just staring at him, her face pale. She hadn't thought of that. Quickly she stopped and opened the medical kit she had brought from the helicopter. She washed the wound and applied antiseptic and a band aid.

Cloud watched her, feeling his stomach churn. This was not good. This was not good at all. They were traveling over unknown and often rough terrain. They didn't know the area or what to expect. Scraps and cuts were going to happen. It was unavoidable. They couldn't stop to worry about every little injury they got. They wouldn't be able to function that way.

Tifa looked at him, worry etched plainly on her face.

"It's all right," he reassured her.

The injury treated there was nothing they could do but go on.

In spite of Dannin's warning, they met no living thing save the plants as the continued on their way. Cloud had thought traveling would get easier once they reached the city, and in a way that was true. Seeing the buildngs ahead they had some reference point as to which direction they were going. But if Cloud thought they could just make a beeline through the city he was very much mistaken. The roads through the city did not run in straight lines, or at least, they didn't in this portion of the city. Instead they weaved this way and that in what seemed like a haphazard fashion, and often they could be walking down one street only to find it slowly curving around to turn back in the direction they had come from.

"Was the city planner drunk when they built this?" Reeve questioned.

"We're in one of the older sections of the city," the Cetra Sage told them. "When the city was first built, there was no plan. At first they just build what ever and where ever they felt like. By the time they realized it was a city and needed to be organized, it was too late to do much about it except tear everything down and start over, and obviously that would have been a rather drastic solution."

Reeve nodded. He had to remind himself that this was a truly ancient city. If it sprang up at the dawn of the Cetra civilization it could very well have been here long before city planning had even become a concept in someone's mind.

Cloud stared around them as they walked. The city was deathly silent. Yet even so, an uneasy feeling had been growing in him since they had entered the city. Cloud had a feeling something was out there, waiting for them. Watching them. Accessing them. He stopped suddenly, scanning the buildings around them.

"What is it?" Tifa asked.

Cloud didn't reply immediately, just stood there, his eyes trained on the nearby buildings.

"I feel like we're being watched."

They all stopped and looked around at that, but none of them saw anything out of the ordinary. Well, not out of the ordinary considering they were walking through an Ancient Cetra city the like of which none of them save the Cetra Sage had ever seen before.

"C'mon," Dannin said and led them onward.

Coming around a bend another obstacle suddenly presented itself in front of them. One of the buildings had collapsed, spilling rubble across the road ahead. As the walked up closer they saw it covered the entire road in front of them. If they were going to proceed in this direction they would have to climb over it.

Normally this wouldn't have presented a problem. The mound of rubble did not look difficult to climb over. They were all in good shape. Even Reeve had benefited from the year he had spent with the group and was in much better shape physically than he had been on his first adventure with them when they had gone looking for Nipala. The Cetra Sage had the appearance of an old man, yet he didn't seem fatigued in the least by their travels and Cloud suspected he would be able to go on long after all the others had collapsed in exhaustion. No, exertion was not a problem here, the problem was that the rubble from the collapsed building had both the look and feel of shattered glass. Huge broken shards shot up in all directions, the wicked looking edges appearing ready to slice through anything at the slightest touch. Beyond that, the plants that Tifa had cut her finger on seemed to have infested the area, intermingling with the rubble. Cloud was quite sure that if they were reasonably careful they could make it over the obstacle. Making it over unscathed, however, was an entirely different proposition.

He could see the others eyeing the rubble in front of them just as dubiously as he was. It was apparent the same thoughts were circulating through their heads.

"Can we go around?" Reeve questioned.

"Of course," the Cetra Sage replied. "But it will delay us."

Cloud saw the others look at him and knew this was his decision to make. He didn't want to delay. He felt an urgent need to rescue Aeris as quickly as possible. On the other hand he was acutely aware of the danger of even the slightest cut with the threat of the Jenova virus lurking here. If Tifa should come down with the virus as well... well, he didn't even want to consider that.

"I think it might be best if we go around," he said after a moment.

Was he being too paranoid? He couldn't help worrying, but the Cetra Sage had said that his getting the disease had been one in a million. It wasn't all that likely that anyone else would get it too, but could he take that chance?

The Cetra Sage nodded and turned to lead them back the way they had come. Cloud glanced over at Tifa, but she wasn't looking at him. He had to wonder if he would have made the same decision if she wasn't with them.

They all started to follow the Cetra Sage, but stopped and spun around at a sudden sound behind them.

Cloud had his sword out in an instant. There was something there, something moving up near the top of the rubble heap. They could see the plants moving, though they could not see the creature itself. It couldn't be very big, for the plants were not very big, and would not provide cover for a large animal. Nevertheless, it was the first animal life they had come into contact with down here.

"What is it?" he heard Tifa ask.

"I don't know, I can't see it," Cloud replied.

Cloud had his sword out, ready for whatever it was to suddenly leap of the plants and into their midst. Yet, though they continued to see movement that did not happen.

"I don't think that whatever it is has much interest in us," Dannin eventually spoke up.

No one replied. Slowly Dannin started to lead them away again. Cloud kept his eye on the rubble as they walked away, but no threat appeared.

They turned the corner once more, leaving the rubble and whatever danger it might contain behind them. Cloud wasn't ready to breath a sigh of relief just yet. The oppressive feeling of being watched hadn't left him, but he still could spot no sign of a watcher, or anything else to indicate they were being observed.

They hadn't gone very far, however, when they were stopped in their tracks again, this time not by an obstacle in their way but instead a sound that suddenly echoed through the air around them. Cloud couldn't tell where it was coming from, nor exactly what might be making it. He couldn't even tell for sure if it was the howl of an animal or the blaring of some kind of strange horn. He had never heard anything like it before and it was almost impossible to describe. The sound was low pitched, and he seemed to feel it coming up the souls of his feet more than hear it with his ears. It was a haunting sound, an unearthly sound. In other words, it was just like something he would expect to hear here.

It went on for quite some time before finally fading away. They stood there, transfixed, until the final note had ended.

"What the hell was that?" Reeve blurted out when silence returned.

"It's either a horn that's way off key of the moan of a dying dog," Cloud muttered.

Ignoring Cloud's comment, the others looked at Dannin.

"I don't know," the Cetra Sage said.

"Was that some kind of animal?" Reeve pressed. "Was it a horn? I couldn't even tell. Are there intelligent creatures down here?"

"As I said, I do not know," Dannin replied. "There were none last I came down here, but that was a very long time ago. Much may have changed."

"Could anyone tell even which direction it was coming from?" Reeve inquired.

No one replied. Cloud slowly shook his head.

"Something's... out there."

They all turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked with just a hint of nervousness.

"Something's been watching us. I can feel it. That sound, it was some kind of communication. They're letting each other know we're here."

They all just stood there for some time.

"How could you possibly know that?" Reeve finally asked.

"I don't," Cloud replied. "Not for sure. It's just a feeling. Nothing more."

"Well, maybe you should keep your feeling to yourself," Reeve suggested. "You're freaking me out with talk like that."

Cloud didn't reply. He could see from the look on Tifa's face she probably agreed with Reeve.

There was nothing for them to do but continue on their way. Dannin seemed to be having trouble getting them back on track since their little detour. He kept looking around with that lost kind of expression on his face, and more than once they had to backtrack after running into a dead end.

They continued to hear the howl or call or horn or whatever it was periodically. Each time it gave them pause, made them stop in their tracks as the noise sent a shiver through their bodies, even after they came to expect it. The pitch changed, warbling up and down the scale, different each time They still couldn't tell which direction it was coming from. It echoed off the buildings around them, seeming to come from every direction at once. The only thing they could tell for certain was that each time they heard it, it seemed to be getting closer.

They made their way quickly down the block, following Dannin. Cloud couldn't tell if the Cetra Sage was as perturbed by the sound as the rest of them obviously were. His face was expressionless, but he seemed to have picked up his pace. Cloud felt a strong urge to turn around and run in the opposite direction to where they were going. Silly really, since they couldn't tell which direction the sound was coming from.

The wail filled the air again, this time so close that it seemed to be coming from just around the corner, yet which corner, whether in front of them or behind, Cloud still couldn't tell. Once again they stopped, and from the look on his face it seemed the sound was even affecting the Cetra Sage.

The just stood there looking at one another.

"What should we do?" Reeve asked, and edge in his voice.

No one had an answer.

Cloud looked around. They stood at mid block, the rows of buildings lining the street on both sides of them with no space in between them. Forward or back were the only choices at this point, unless they decided to seek shelter within one of the buildings themselves. Cloud was tempted. Whatever was seeking them might miss them if they hid in a building, and even if they were found, they might have a better chance in the limited confides of a room instead of out here in the open.

In the end their indecision rendered the point moot, for a moment later something came around the corner ahead of them. 'Something' was the exact word that came to Cloud's mind when he saw the creatures. Humanoid in size, though squat in shape, they skittered along the ground with a peculiar jerky sideways motion that looked completely unnatural, like some kind of demented crab. The closest thing that Cloud could think of that they reminded him of was some kind of insect. Their arms and legs were black and spindly, and as they got closer he could see they were covered with course black hairs, their arms ending in long pincer like objects that seemed designed for stabbing. Their bodies were round and seemed to be encased in some kind of brown shell. Their heads were small and bobbed up and down in a most peculiar manner as the creatures ran forward, two yellow eyes peering from above a round orifice that Cloud could only assume was a mouth. The entire effect was both revolting and unnerving.

There were five or six of them and they moved with surprising speed. Cloud glanced behind and saw that more of them were coming from the other direction.

Trapped.

Cloud looked around quickly, spotting a nearby alcove that led to the entrance to one of the buildings he ran toward it.

"This way!" he called out.

The others followed instantly. When they reached the entranceway Cloud spun around, sword poised in front of him.

"Get behind me," Cloud said. "Protect Dannin."

Tifa and Reeve obediently took up positions to either side and slightly behind Cloud, with the Cetra Sage behind them all. In the narrow confides of the alcove their opponents could only come at them a few at a time, and they couldn't be flanked.

There wasn't any time for Cloud to issue any other orders before the creatures were upon them.

A blast from Reeve shotgun signaled the first blow, sending one of the creatures flying backwards. Cloud's sword whistled through the air a moment later, through air at first, but then through flesh and bone.

Beside him one of the creatures drove it's knifelike pincer straight at Tifa. At the last second she suddenly ducked underneath it. Turning and stepping forward, she unleashed a kick directly into the creatures midsection. There was a loud crack and the shell that covered the creatures body shattered. Tifa saw a white pusslike substance splash on her leg as the beast fell backwards.

"Oh gross!" she muttered.

The next few minutes were a blur of motion as they three teammates defended themselves. Cloud and Tifa fell into their well practiced routine, Cloud in the center, pressing the attack, the Ultima weapon weaving a wedge of death in front of him, Tifa protecting him from any attacks from the side, the two of them moving as if they were one. Reeve protected Cloud's other side, admittedly not as smoothly as Tifa, yet he had been with them long enough and was smart enough to have found his place in the team. He fired his gun until out of shells, then quickly switched to materia. The fight was intense, but only lasted a few minutes before the last creature fell.

Tifa lowered her hands, looking around at the pile of bodies and the white goo that had spattered over the three of them. Cloud stood beside her and, finding himself with no more adversaries to fight, drove his sword into the ground in front of him and turned toward the others.

"Piece of cake."

The sound came again, so loud this time they all jumped. It sounded like it was coming from right about the corner. Yet even so, even no when it seemed so close by, they still couldn't tell what direction is was coming from.

They all just stood there, frozen in place as the sound slowly faded away. A moment later they heard something else, or felt it really. A vibration. Just for a moment, but then it was repeated. Cloud looked down at the ground. Each time the sound came, he saw the dirt by his feet dance with the vibration.

"Then again, maybe not," he said slowly.

The sound was growing louder now, and the vibration was getting worse. This sound they could locate. It was coming from somewhere down the road ahead of them, the way they were headed. The buildings around them were shaking now with each vibration. It was obvious to them all by now that the sound they were hearing was footsteps. Something else was coming. Something.. big.

"What's that?" Reeve said.

Cloud wasn't sure if it was a rhetorical question. He looked at the Cetra Sage, who just shrugged.

Reeve stepped forward, looking down the street.

"It's coming from that way," he said, pointing. "Maybe it would be best if we went this way." He turned and pointed in the other direction.

"Perhaps retreat might be prudent," the Cetra Sage agreed.

Without waiting for consensus they started walking slowly back the way they had come, all of them that is, except for Cloud, who walked out in the center of the street and stopped, facing ahead.

The others stopped as well when they saw him. Slowly they walked over to him.

"Do you really think this is wise?" Reeve asked uncertainly.

"We have to know what we're facing," Cloud responded.

They others fell silent. In spite of their instincts telling them to flee, no one was about to argue with him.

The creature that came around the corner this time was very similar to the beasts they had just fought, except that everything about it was supersized. Twenty meters, thirty meters, Cloud wasn't sure how big the thing was, all he knew was that it towered over them, that it was enormous.

"Looks like mommy has arrived," Cloud heard Reeve comment behind him.

"Yeah, and I don't think she's gonna be too happy about what we did to her kids," Tifa added.

Cloud stood there for a moment, then he brought his sword up, a smoldering gleam in his eye.

Tifa, standing beside him, didn't miss it.

"Cloud...," she said slowly.

He turned toward her and gave her a wicked smile.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

And then he ran forward.


	15. Chaos Round One

CHAPTER XV

CHAOS ROUND ONE

"So what's the plan?"

"Whaddya mean what's the plan. Isn't it obvious? We have to find Vincent."

"And then what?"

"And then we stop him."

"How?"

"How? Why, we ask him politely to come back with us to the lab so we can turn him back into a human, that's how" Reno said impatiently.

Yuffie glared at him.

"Don't you think it would be a good idea to have a plan before we run into him?" Yuffie asked, undeterred.

"Yes I do. Got any suggestions? I'm kind of curious as to exactly how I ended up being the plan guy all of a sudden. He's your friend, why don't you think of something?"

"We should have a net," Ichiero said helpfully.

"A net," Reno snorted. "Do you know what kind of claws Chaos has? You saw what he did to Lucrecia. He'd shred a net in two seconds flat."

"Well, maybe something steel reinforced then," Yuffie tried.

"And where are we supposed to find something like that?" Reno retorted. "They don't sell things like in the item store in Nibelheim."

"You're not being helpful!" Yuffie snapped.

"Well neither are you with your stupid ideas," Reno shot back.

"You insult Miss. Yuffie again?" Ichiero protested.

Reno made a great show of pondering this for a moment.

"Why yes, I believe I did," he finally said.

Ichiero glowered at him, his hand reaching for his sword.

Reno fingered his nightstick.

"What, is it time to play fry the samurai?"

"We don't have time for this," Rude stated, the voice of reason.

"You're right, we don't," Reno agreed. "Yuffie, do you have anything useful to tell us about Vincent?"

"Useful, like what?"

"I don't know. Except for the fact that he's a vampire with bad fashion sense, I don't really know much about him."

"And what makes you think I do? And he's not a vampire!"

"He's a member of Avalanche, you're a member of Avalanche..."

"So what? Just because we're both members of Avalanche doesn't mean we're bosom buddies. Frankly, the guy always freaked me out a little. Why don't you ask Elena?"

"Uh, I hate to point out the obvious, but Elena stayed back at the mansion with Red and Lai Li."

"Yeah, and I still don't understand that. Why'd she stay behind? It's her boyfriend we're after."

"Leave her alone," Reno retorted. "She's messed up enough as it is. We're better off without her. In the condition she was in do you really think she would be of any help to us anyway?"

Yuffie had to admit Reno was probably right, not that she was about to admit that.

"She could have answered your questions."

"Maybe," Reno replied.

They were high on a mountain trail, not far from the old Neibelheim mako reactor. They had been following Vincent's trail most of the day. It wasn't difficult, he hadn't exactly covered his tracks. The Chaos beast he had turned into didn't seem all that concerned about being tracked.

Rude was in the lead. He stooped down to examine some tracks.

"I don't think we're too far behind him," he proclaimed. "We may catch up any time now."

"Any time now, great," Reno replied with little enthusiasm. They had left with the simple edict from Red to try to bring Vincent back, or at least to stop him from killing anyone else. Of course, Red hadn't given them any hints on just how they were supposed to accomplish that.

"Do you think he knows we're following him?" Ichiero asked.

"How should I know?" Reno replied irritably. "I don't know how he thinks. I don't even know _if_ he thinks. Can he think when he's doing that monster thing?"

"I told you I don't know," Yuffie replied.

"Big help you are," Reno muttered.

"So you've said," Yuffie snapped. "I never said I had all the answers. I'm not the brains of the organization."

"That's apparent," Reno cut in.

"Oh shut up! All I can tell you is I'm seen him fight when he transformed and he's ridiculously strong."

"Isn't that reassuring," Reno muttered.

Yuffie was silent for a moment.

"He _must_ think," she said eventually. "When he's transformed in battle, he's always fought the enemy, never with us. He knows who's on who's side, so he must think _some_."

"Yeah, but that was before Lucrecia performed her little magic trick on him," Reno pointed out. "Maybe he can't tell anymore. He did kill Lucrecia, after all."

Yuffie fell silent. She didn't have an answer for that.

Reno didn't say anything either, tired of talking in circles. He wasn't happy about this little mission, he wasn't happy at all. He'd seen Vincent fight when transformed too, and he wasn't anxious to confront the guy. Yuffie wasn't kidding when she said he was strong. They weren't allowed to hurt him. Well, maybe they could hurt him a _little_, but they couldn't do too much damage. They couldn't _kill_ him. So what could they do? Beat the guy senseless? That was pretty much the only battle option they had, but Reno didn't like it at all. One, they couldn't be sure they could beat him senseless without killing him, and two, while they were handling Vincent with kids gloves, Vincent would be under no such constraint. He had a feeling a lot of _them_ would be beat senseless, or worse, before Vincent succumbed.

The only other option he could think of would be to reason with the guy. He had no idea if that would work, if they could get through to Vincent at all. Maybe they should have brought Elena along just for that reason. If anyone could get through to him she was the most likely.

Then again, she might just freak out completely if they confronted him. She wasn't the most emotionally stable person he had ever met, and this had all been pretty tough on her.

At any rate, he could see no viable options. As far as he was concerned, they had been given an impossible task. Hell, if it wasn't for Elena, he wouldn't even be here. This wasn't his problem. Vincent was a member of Avalanche, they were his friends, it should be up to them to save him. Elena sure knew how to pick 'em, didn't she?

As long as Vincent stayed in the mountains they were okay. No one lived up here. There wasn't any danger of him killing anyone. Still, there was no way to predict where he'd go next. Rocket town was just over the mountains, and he seemed to be heading in that direction. If Vincent reached the town, they'd have to do something to stop him.

And that was the problem. Vincent seemed headed for Rocket Town, but was that his destination, or would he turn off somewhere along the way? Did he have some purpose in mind, or was he just moving at random? These were the things they needed to know. If they knew his capabilities, if they understood him, they could predict where he might go. If he was really headed for Rocket Town they might be able to get there ahead of him but if they went there and he wasn't headed there, they might lose him completely.

They were making their way slowly down the mountain now. Looking back Reno could see the top of the Neibelheim reactor sticking out over the peaks. He glanced over at each of his companions. Ichiero had a sword, but what good would that be against Vincent? They couldn't slice him up. Elena wouldn't be too happy about that. Besides, Reno wasn't even sure if that joker could use the thing. Yuffie had her sheruiken, and he knew she was at least competent with that, but still, that could only be used to wound Vincent and that wasn't their objective. By the same token Rude's gun was out, but his friend still had his fists. Against an ordinary foe that would be a very useful weapon if you wanted to beat someone senseless. In this case however, he didn't think even Rude's fists would do much damage to the monster they were chasing.

That left only himself. Of all of them, he was the only one who had a weapon that _might_ be effective. He fingered the end of his nightstick. The electric shock it produced could be used to stun as well as kill, and the pyramid force field might be better than any net they could find. Still, both were designed for use against a normal human. He didn't know how much effect they might have against the Chaos beast.

The only way to find out was to catch up with Vincent. Right now his mind was just going in circles. There was no sense in worrying about it. They'd find out soon enough, one way or the other.

Rude was a little ahead of them now, walking slowly, looking at the ground. The land around them was filled with tumbled rocks and small stands of thin trunked pine trees. Suddenly he stopped, looking up.

"What is it?" Reno questioned.

Even before he had finished the question, however, Reno saw what had stopped him. Perched on a boulder off to their left, no more than ten meters away, the Chaos beast crouched, staring at them.

They stopped in their tracks. Reno slowly readied his nightstick, trying not to draw attention to himself. He'd seen Vincent in action before as the Chaos beast, he knew the creature could cover the distance between them in seconds. Again he wondered what was going on in Vincent's head. Would he recognize the threat the nightstick might be to him?

Reno saw Yuffie take a slow step back beside him. Rude, who was closest to the beast, held his ground, but Reno could see from the serious look on his face that he wasn't too happy being that close to their potential opponent. Only Ichiero, who had never faced the Chaos beast, seemed unconcerned. Well, it was his tough luck if he did something stupid, Reno thought. Who knows, maybe he could draw attention to himself and take the pressure off them. Reno wouldn't consider it too much of a loss if the Chaos beast turned Ichiero into hamburger.

They braced themselves for an onslaught, but the Chaos beast did not move, just remained where it was, looking at them. Reno stared, trying to discern the creatures expression, trying to decide if there was some spark of Vincent still in there.

"Yuffie, talk to him," Reno said finally.

"Wha? Me? Why me?" Yuffie questioned, obviously not at all thrilled with the idea. "Why don't you do it?

"Vincent, even when he was himself, wasn't all that happy to talk to me," Reno replied. "You're both members of Avalanche. He knows you better than any of us."

"Lucky me," Yuffie muttered. "Why didn't we bring Elena along again?"

"Just do it!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right!"

She looked at the Chaos beast.

"Hey Vincent, you in there?"

"Yuffie."

"What?"

"You in there?" Reno repeated. "Can't you come up with anything better than that?"

"Well, what would you like me to say?"

"I don't know. Just talk like you normally would to him."

"Hey, I told you, I never talked to him all that much to begin with."

"And get closer."

"Closer? No way!"

"C'mon Yuffie, quite playing around. This is serious!" Reno told her.

"You don't think I know that? I've seen what those claws can do! I'm not playing around!"

"Get closer," Reno repeated. "Don't worry, we'll cover you."

"Gee thanks. Why does that not reassure me?"

Reluctantly she took a tiny step forward.

"No, Miss. Yuffie, it's to dangerous," Ichiero interjected.

"Oh shut up," Reno snapped.

Yuffie glared at the both of them for a moment, then settled her gaze on the samurai.

"Stay out of this."

She looked up at Vincent again. He hadn't moved. She took a few more slow steps then stopped when she saw the Chaos beast stare at her.

"Vincent! Vincent, it's me, Yuffie. You remember me don't you, your buddy from Avalanche? You know, the irresistably cute little ninja girl?"

"Let's not get carried away," she heard Reno mutter.

She didn't bother to glare at him, she was too afraid to take her eyes off Vincent.

"We're here to help you," she continued. "We're your friends, you know that right? We're not going to hurt you and we'd like very very much if you don't hurt us either. We need you to come back to the lab where you'll be safe. Red's there and he's trying to work on a cure. Do you hear me Vincent? Come back with us and we may be able to cure you."

Yuffie stopped, waiting to see if her words would evoke some kind of reaction. Nothing happened, however. Vincent still didn't move.

"C'mon Vincent," Yuffie cajoled. "You want to go back don't you? And be with all your friends? Elena's there. You want to see Elena, don't you?"

The Chaos beast glared at her. He let out a low growl.

Yuffie took a step back and turned toward Reno.

"I don't think..."

The Chaos beast suddenly launched itself at her.

"Yuffie!" Ichiero shouted.

His shout was unneeded. She had caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned back and saw the Chaos beast would be on her in an instant. She knew that all her ninja speed wouldn't avail here here. The creature was just too big and too fast. There was no way she could avoid the claws that swept through the air. In the split second she had before they raked through her, she raised her hands to cover her head.

"Eep!"

It was all she had time for before she was suddenly surrounded by a golden pyramid of light.

Vincent's claws slashed out, but instead of slashing across Yuffie's neck they raked across the pyramid. There was a flash of light, and just as quickly as it appeared the pyramid vanished

Reno cursed and instantly readjusted his aim. He had been shooting for Vincent!

Given the unexpected reprieve Yuffie's wits suddenly returned to her. She ducked and leaped out of the way as Vincent's claws lashed out a second time.

A moment later light shot out again from Reno's nightstick, and this time it was true to his mark, and the pyramid formed around the Chaos beast. Finding itself suddenly encased, it roared and lashed out at the pyramid force field around it.

Yuffie quickly scuttled out of the way, running back to the others and hiding behind Reno.

"Is that going to hold it?" she asked.

Reno stood there. The Chaos beast was slashing it's claws in a furious frenzy, but the pyramid seemed to be remaining intact.

"Looks that way," he said slowly, lowering his nightstick.

Yuffie tentatively came out from behind Reno. She glared at him suddenly.

"What did you put the pyramid around me for?" she questioned.

"I was aiming for him," Reno replied, nodding toward Vincent. "You just got in the way."

"Nice shot you are."

"Hey, don't be so ungrateful. If I hadn't done that, we'd be picking pieces of you up off the ground."

"You would not," Yuffie replied. "I could've dodged him easy."

"Yeah right."

"So what now?" Rude questioned.

"Now we wait," Reno replied.

"Wait, wait for what?" Yuffie asked. "Those pyramids don't last forever, right? What happens when it wears off?"

"They last long enough for him to run out of air," Reno replied. "We just wait for that. When he falls unconscious, we take him out and bring him back to the lab."

"Back to the lab? And just how are we supposed to get him there?" Yuffie protested.

"We'll have to carry him, I guess," Reno replied.

"Carry that big lug?"

"You got a better idea?"

"This was a well thought out plan, now wasn't it?"

"Hey, this whole thing wasn't my idea," Reno reminded her.

"Well, what if he wakes up while we're carrying him?" Yuffie wanted to know. "He's not going to stay unconscious forever and it will take us hours to get him back."

"Thats what we brought some rope for," Reno told her.

"You think rope is going to hold him?"

Yuffie might be a pest but he had to admit she was making some good points. This whole thing seemed half assed to Reno right from the beginning. They didn't know they'd be able to capture Vincent, and what were they supposed to do with him now that they had? The Chaos beast was nearly as large as all four of them put together. It would be a major pain to carry Vincent all the way to the lab, if they could do it at all. On top of that, he didn't know if rope would hold the Chaos beast and even if it did, once Vincent woke up, would they be able to carry him while he was struggling against them? They could always put him in a pyramid again until he fell unconscious a second time, then keep doing that until they got him back, but that might take days.

Yuffie was obviously beginning to feel her oats again, for she walked closer to Vincent, looking at him curiously. The Chaos beast roared and slashed it's claws in her direction, causing her to pause in her tracks, but the claws only raked harmlessly against the pyramid, reassuring her.

"Nyah nyah!" she chortled.

Reno gave her a look.

"Yuffie, don't provoke..."

The Chaos beast let out a hideous roar and threw itself at the pyramid, and suddenly, with a flash of light, the pyramid was gone.

"Shit!" Reno shouted.

Yuffie, her face white as a sheet, tore ass in the other direction. Reno raised his nightstick again, but when he pressed the activation button nothing happened. Creating a pyramid took a lot of power, and the nightstick only had a limited amount. It would have to recharge before he could use it again.

The Chaos beast let out another roar, then turned toward Rude, who was now the closest person to him. Rude raised his fists in defiance. They all knew he wouldn't stand a chance, but, knowing the speed of the Chaos beast, running wasn't really an option either.

Reno frantically readjusted the setting on his nightstick. The electrical bolts it fired took a lot less power than the pyramid.

The Chaos beast crouched to spring, and was suddenly hit with the full force of Reno's electrical attack.

The beast shuddered for a moment as the bolt hit him, but seemed to shrug it off almost immediately and turned to face Reno, who stared at Vincent looking for any sign that the bolt had done anything more than draw the Chao's beasts attention to him.

It didn't look like it had.

The Chaos beast leaped, lunging toward Reno, who quickly dodged to the side. He never found out if his dodge would have saved him for suddenly Yuffie's sherukin flew through the air, striking the beast on the side, making it roar again and turn in this new direction.

With the beast's back toward him, Reno cut loose with another blast from his nightstick.

Being attacked from all directions, the Chaos beast seemed to decided suddenly that discretion was the better part of valor, for suddenly it's wings snapped open and it launched itself into the air.

"Stop him!" Yuffie shouted.

Reno aimed another blast from his nightstick at the beast. When it struck Vincent shuddered again and momentarily lost altitude, but a moment later his wings beat fierecly and he continued his ascent.

Reno turned to look at Yuffie.

"Got any ideas on how we might do that?"

Yuffie didn't reply. She stood there for a moment, weighing her sherukin in her hand, staring up at Vincent who was rapidly fading into the distance now. Finally she lowered her weapon and shook her head.

"Great. What do we do now?"

Reno watched Vincent until he faded from view.

"This whole thing was badly planned from the beginning," he announced. "How can we follow something that can fly when we're on the ground? We need an airplane."

"And just where are we supposed to get one?" Yuffie questioned.

"Hey, you're the one who has a friend who's a pilot," Reno reminded her.

"Oh, and this is all up to me again?" Yuffie said disgustedly. "The Slipstream is being repaired, remember?"

"Yes, but doesn't Cid have another plane?"

"The Tiny Bronco?"

"That would be the one."

"C'mon, you guys are Turks. Don't you have access to a helicopter or something?" Yuffie questioned.

"It could be arranged but it would take time and gil," Reno replied.

Yuffie just looked at him for a moment.

"Sheesh," she said finally and pulled out her PHS.

Reno waited impatiently while she dialed.

"Cid? Yeah, Cid, it's me Yuffie. How's it going with the Slipstream? Oh? Well, I'm sure you'll have it together soon enough. Hey, we have a little problem here that maybe you can help us out with. We're trying to track down Vincent and we had a little run in with him and he flew away. Kinda hard to track the guy while he's flying and we're not you know? Yeah, how'd you guess? We want to know if you or Shera can get the Tiny Bronco over here."

Yuffie was silent for a bit, then she looked at Reno.

"There's a little problem," she proclaimed.

"A little problem. Why doesn't that surprise me," Reno retorted. "There's always a little problem, isn't there? What is it this time?"

"Cid said that Tifa thought Cloud and Aeris had gone off to Round Island, so she and Reeve took off in a helicopter to go there, but the chopper doesn't have enough fuel to get back, so they're waiting for Shera to get there so she can go pick them up."

"Great, so we have to wait while Shera goes off to get Tifa and Reeve because they were stupid enough to fly off without enough fuel?"

"Uh, yeah, well, that's pretty much it."

"And did you tell him that Vincent seems to be headed straight for Rocket Town and God knows what kind of havoc he could wreak if he gets there?" Reno asked. "I think that might be a bit more important than chasing after Tifa and Reeve."

Yuffie repeated what Reno had said for Cid's benefit. Then listened for a bit more.

"Cid says he should be able to fix the Slipstream once Shera gets there with the parts. He said that perhaps he send Shera back with the Tiny Bronco and go get Tifa and Reeve himself."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Reno agreed.

"Okay, that sounds like a plan," Yuffie said into the PHS. "All right. Good luck. See ya later."

She hung up and looked around.

"So what do we do now?" she questioned.

Reno looked around for a moment. Spotting a convenient sized rock not far away he walked over to it and plopped himself down on it. He looked up in the sky but there was no sign of Vincent. He didn't think the beast would come back.

"Now we wait."

* * *

"My name is Termerico."

The man in front of her was younger than the others she had met. He looked to be in his early twenties. His black hair was close cropped on his head and his gray eyes looked at her from behind boyish features.

"Aeris."

"Yes, I know," Temerico replied. "You've caused quite a stir here. Frankly I was a bit curious to meet you."

Aeris didn't reply to that. She had been here a day already and this man was the first one who had entered her prison since she had arrived.

Seeing that she wasn't going to respond the man continued.

"You must be bored sitting in this room. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Yes, go home," she replied.

The man smiled ruefully.

"I'm sorry about that, but of course I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

Temerico just looked at her for a moment.

"You know why not," he replied. "Believe me, I'm not all that happy with what we're doing here either."

"So then why don't you do something about it?"

"I tried," Temerico replied. "We debated this move for a long time. I was against it, I told them this was the wrong way to go about things, it but in the end I was outvoted."

"And so that's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were outvoted, so you just go along with them?"

"It is what the majority wants."

"So what? That doesn't make it right."

Temerico was silent for quite some time.

"Yes, I go along with them," he said finally. "That's the way a democratic society works. You debate, you vote, and the decision is made. Once that happens you go along with it, even if lost the vote, even if you feel your way would be better. Otherwise there would be chaos."

Aeris looked around for a moment.

"Maybe you could use a little chaos around here," she mused.

Temerico looked thoughtful.

"You are a very unusual girl," he said eventually.

Again Aeris made no reply.

"You still do not understand though," Temerico continued. "There are few Cetra left. We can't afford to fight amongst ourselves. We can't afford strife. It would destroy us. I realize the necessity to speak out for what I believe, but I also must go along with the wishes of the others for the sake of our race. Sometimes it is necessary to suborn your own beliefs for those of the majority in order to survive."

"Very noble of you, but totally wrong," Aeris replied, obviously not very impressed.

Temerico tried to hide his frustration, but she could see it on his face.

"You are a very hard person to argue with," he commented.

Aeris didn't respond to that.

"What would you like me to do?" Temerico questioned. "Yonsin has been voted in as our leader. This is the way he wants to do it and the majority of the others support him. Even if I think they're wrong, what right do I have to go against the majority? Wouldn't that be putting my opinion above everyone else's? What right do I have to do that?"

"The fact that they are wrong gives you the right," Aeris replied.

"But who am I to decide what's right and wrong?" Temerico countered. "People disagree all the time, even about something as basic as what's right and wrong. There are plenty of cultures that have rights or traditions that you or I may consider to be wrong, yet to the people involved it's not wrong at all, it's the way they do things. Who are we to judge whether they are right or not?"

"We're not talking about different cultures here," Aeris pointed out. "I'm a Cetra too."

"Half Cetra," Temerico reminded her. "And you've grown up among humans. Of course you're going to be sympathetic to them, but humans do not encompass the entire world. You have no right to judge us by human standards."

"I'm not judging you by human standards, I'm judging you by basic moral values that are universal," Aeris retorted.

"How can you say that? Surely you must have come into contact on your travels with other cultures that had different rules from you, some which you might have found distasteful. Are you trying to tell me that they're all wrong? Are you only going to look at things from your own narrow humancentric view?"

"Nice try," Aeris replied. "But you can't blur the lines between right and wrong that easily. You can't hide behind your culture to justify this. I'm not looking at this from a human viewpoint, I'm looking at it from a universally common view of right and wrong."

"How can you say that? How can you be so sure of what's right and wrong?" Temerico persisted.

"It's not all that complicated," Aeris replied impatiently. "Right and wrong isn't that hard to figure out. If the voice in your head says it's wrong, then it probably is. And no, I'm not talking about the little voice that's telling you to kill your neighbors, I'm talking about the other voice, the one that tells you to _be nice_."

Temerico just stared at her. She could see he was having a hard time with that one.

"That's a rather simplistic view, don't you think?"

"No I don't," she replied. "Who said things have to be complicated? All you have to do is listen to your conscience, and yes, everyone has one, no matter how much they might try to deny it."

She looked hard at Temerico.

"Tell me, what does you conscience tell you now about what you're doing now?"

Temerico paused for a long time before replying.

"You are very clever," he said finally, "but I don't think there is anything I can do."

Aeris said nothing for a moment. The impression she got of Temerico was that he was basically an honest person. She had a feeling everything he had told her about himself was true. She could see he had doubts about what the others were doing, doubts she hadn't seen in Yonsin or Grem. This man had the potential to be a friend. She didn't want to take the chance of alienating him by arguing with him too much.

"There is something you can do," she said eventually. "I'm kind of hungry. Can you take me someplace to get some food?"

Temerico smiled.

"Of course," he replied.

They left the room, and Temerico led her down the street to another building. Inside was a large cafeteria. They sat down to eat. Temerico asked her about herself, and seeing no harm in it, she told him a little bit. The atmosphere seemed relaxed, and to tell the truth, she didn't think Temerico was much of a threat to her, but she couldn't help but notice the figure of Grem walking by the doorway to the cafeteria every few minutes. It was obvious the man was keeping a close eye on her.

She wondered if he had sent Temerico to her on purpose, to try to gain her trust by letting her talk to someone who was sympathetic. It was an obvious ploy, but one that could backfire, since their views were similar it was quite possible that she might convince Temerico to see things her way instead of the other way around. She was sure this must have occurred to Grem as well, but maybe he was willing to take the chance.

When they were done eating Aeris expressed an interest in taking a walk. It was boring cooped up in that little room all day, and it honestly felt better to get out, but she also wanted to take a better look around than the short tour she had been given by Yonsin on her first day here. She figured the better she knew the place the better her chances of escape would be.

Temerico readily agreed. He showed her a number of buildings that Yonsin hadn't, but nothing that really caught her attention. As they walked around she noticed a number of streets that were blocked off by rubble. She asked Temerico about these.

"This is an old city," Temerico replied. "The oldest city the Cetra built, and also the greatest. At one time it held millions of Cetra. There are only a handful of us left now. Most of the city had to be abandoned, and eventually the uninhabited portions were overrun by vermin and other creatures. We've had to block off those areas to protect ourselves from them."

Aeris nodding, wondering if escaping into the uninhabited portion of the city was a viable way of escape. She couldn't see how at the moment. She wouldn't know where she was going, or how to get out, and she was unarmed. If there were dangerous creatures in there it might be a desperate gamble to go that route. On the other hand, she might just be desperate enough some time in the future.

"What's that building over there?" she asked, pointing to one of the largest buildings in the city she had seen, and one that no one had mentioned.

"Ah that, that's where the mako reactor is," Temerico replied.

"Mako reactor?"

"Yes, the one that's used to power the Amplifier."

Aeris just looked at him for a moment. It didn't seem like it would be fruitful to start in with him about the dangers of Mako reactors. He'd probably just give her the same line he had told her about everything else the Cetra were doing here. So instead she just asked, "Can I see it?"

"Well, we're really not supposed to go in there.." Temerico said hesitantly.

Aeris just smiled sweetly.

"C'mon," she prodded.

"Ah what the hell," Temerico gave in.

They walked over to the building. Aeris half expected Grem to appear and tell them they couldn't enter. She had caught glimpses of him behind them as they had walked around, but he didn't make an appearance. Did he think she was harmless enough to let her go inside? Well, she had to admit he was right.

At the moment anyway.

The entered the building. The reactor was huge. Larger than anything she had ever seen. It dwarfed the ones in Midgar.

"Does it need to be so big?" she questioned, looking up at it towering above them.

"I guess," Temerico replied. "I'm not an expert on such things. I know the Amplifier needs a lot of power to work. After all, it's transmitting it's message all over the planet."

Aeris just shrugged. True, it was only one reactor and Shinra had had eight in Midgar alone. Even with it's size, it still couldn't be as bad as all those, but it was bad enough. Just one more reason for her to stop them somehow.

They walked down a narrow flight of steps and into another room. Machinery filled the room here. Aeris was no expert but it looked like some kind of refining center. At the far end of the room a small conveyer belt exited the machinery. On it she could see rows of different colored small orbs.

"This is where the materia is processed," Temerico explained. "This mako reactor runs cleaner than anything that the humans possessed. As a result the materia it produces is much higher grade. These materia orbs are quite powerful."

As he spoke they walked over by the conveyer. The orbs were right in front of her now. They didn't look any different from any other materia orbs she had seen, but then again, you really couldn't tell until you used them. A long tray of orbs was on a table beside the conveyer belt.

"How many of these does the reactor produce?" Aeris asked.

"Not as many as you might think," Tomerico replied. "Like I said, this reactor is highly refined, and we use only the best mako ore we can find. As a result there is little by product."

"There seems to be quite a few materia orbs here," Aeris pointed out.

"Well, this is pretty much all that's been produces since we've been running it," Temerico replied. "It isn't stored anywhere else."

Aeris nodded slowly, looking at the table, which they now stood beside. She turned and looked across the room.

"And what does that do?" she asked.

Temerico turned to look where she was pointing.

"That's a vat filled with chemicals that used to purify the materia once it's created," Temerico replied. "That's another thing that makes this materia so powerful. The humans didn't..."

He stopped as Aeris suddenly clutched her head. She tried to take a step, but then staggered. With a cry she fell forward, knocking over the tray of materia orbs and sending both them and her crashing to the floor.

"What's wrong!" Temerico cried out in surprise.

He stooped down beside her. She had fallen face down. For a moment she made no move whatsoever. He reached out and grabbed hold of her, turning her toward him. As he did so her eyes fluttered open and she moaned.

"What is it? What happened?" he questioned.

For a moment she didn't reply, just lay there. Then she reached up and held her forehead.

"I... I don't know," she said slowly. "I suddenly... I suddenly got dizzy."

She looked around for a moment, blinking. Temerico looked at her closely.

"Are you all right?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"Yes, yes, I... think so."

She let him help her to her feet.

"That was strange," she said. "I felt just like I did when Grem knocked me out when he captured me."

"Oh?" Temerico responded. "Maybe you're feeling some after affects. Grem can be a little rough at times. Not many of us like him."

Aeris nodded without replying, but she'd keep that in mind for future use.

"I think I better go back to my room."

"Is everything okay in here? I heard a crash."

They looked up to see a woman with long red hair standing in the doorway. She looked to be about the same age as Temerico.

"We're fine Dalliana," Temerico said. "Aeris just had a little fainting spell. Can you clean up all these materia while I take her back to her room?"

"Sure," Dalliana replied.

Dalliana bent down to pick up the materia while Temerico led Aeris out of the room. Aeris followed silently, wanting to get back to her room as fast as possible, and hoping that no one would notice the small green orb she had snatched from the tray as she fell.


	16. Trials and Tribulations in the Cetra Cit

CHAPTER XVI

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS IN THE CETRA CITY

A huge arm lashed out. Cloud spun, slashing at it with his sword. He felt it cut, felt it drive into the creatures arm. Blood shot through the air, yet the beast hardly seemed to notice, and the attack did nothing to slow the motion of the creatures arm. It continued forward and Cloud had not expected that. Before he could react it slammed into him.

A moment later he looked up, finding himself lying on the ground, almost ten feet from where he had been just a second ago. Tifa stood over him, a look of shocked concern on her face.

"Are you all right?"

He shook his head to get the cobwebs out of it, then nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

He pulled himself to his feet, a blast from Reeve's shotgun making his ears ring. That at least momentarily delayed the creatures advance, yet didn't seem to have much more effect.

"He's a tough little bugger," Cloud muttered.

"You mean _big_ bugger," Reeve shot back.

A green glow suddenly appeared in Tifa's hands, and a moment later a blast of Ultima shot outward at the beast. It staggered backwards, the best effect they'd had yet to their attacks, but a moment later it was coming toward them again. If it was hurt at all, it certainly didn't show it.

"I think it's time to go to plan B," Cloud stated.

"Run like hell?" Tifa suggested.

"Exactly."

They turned around and raced off down the road.

One could never predict how a monster would react when one turned and ran. Some just stood there, as if the tactic confused them, or perhaps were just satisfied that their need to feel superior had be satiated, making a getaway easy. Others might give chase for a bit, but did not continue for long, either because they were too slow or you passed out of that particular area of the world that they laid claim to. And then there was the final category, in which they pursued you to the ends of the earth and possibly beyond, either because they were desperate for a meal or just seemed to think it was absolutely imperative to their existence that they catch the intruders. A lot depended upon the beast's intelligence, but that was often hard to judge. Usually the more humanlike the creature appeared the more intelligence it was attributed, but that wasn't always so.

In this particular instance, it was just their luck that the creature seemed to fall into the last category. They ran down the streets, following a twisting path, turning off in various directions as they went, yet the creature remained doggedly behind them. Reeve was in the lead while Cloud stayed as rearguard, Tifa right in front of him, occasionally turning to launch a blast of Ultima at their pursuer. The good part was it really didn't seem to be gaining much. The bad part, that it didn't seem to be losing ground either.

To Cloud's surprise Dannen seemed just as spry as the rest of them. Cloud had expected him to fall behind rather early, but he seemed to be keeping up as well as anyone. That helped a bit, but it just delayed things. They didn't know if the monster would quit, but it didn't seem like it was going to anytime soon. In spite of the fact that Dannen was keeping up, Cloud didn't know how much longer he could keep it up, or any of them really. Slowly, after quite some time, he began to notice that the monster was starting to gain on them. Well, not so much it gain ground as they started to lose it. Tifa was going visibly slower now, the use of the materia draining her strength faster than the others, and he had to slow down to stay with her. Besides that, they were running at random, and Dannen had told them there were plenty of monsters to go around down here. There was no telling when they might run into more. If they kept going they could end up caught between a rock and a hard place.

Whoever came up with that expression anyway? Wasn't a rock already a hard place? So it's actually between a hard place and another hard place. Or a rock and a rock.

Cloud didn't really have time to let his mind wander right now.

No, a change in tactics seemed to be what was needed. He looked ahead of them.

"See if we can get in one of the buildings," he called out. "We may be able to hide somewhere."

Reeve glanced back for a moment.

"If we go in a building we risk being trapped inside," he pointed out.

"I don't see that we have much choice," Cloud replied. "I don't think it can follow us into a building. Look at the size of it!"

Reeve didn't argue any more. He turned forward again, angling toward the buildings on the right hand side of the street. They were in an old part of the city. Well, the entire city was old, of course, but this area seemed to be particularly ancient. Oddly enough, the buildings on the left side of the street seemed even older than those on the right, as if they had been built long before and then the city had expanded, as indeed, that very well could have been the case. As it was most of the buildings on the left hand side were overgrown with vegetation, their foundations cracked and crumbling. In fact, some of them seemed on the verge of collapse, one of them even teetering with a dangerous tilt out into the street above them. They made sure to give that one a wide berth.

The ones on the right seemed to be in a bit better shape, and perhaps that was why Reeve led them in that direction. In any case, he soon spotted an open doorway and bolted inside, the others close on his heels.

There was no door, nothing to block the entranceway with. Reeve quickly led them into the next room, but then they stopped, Cloud standing by the opening, looking back.

A moment later he flinched as the creature slammed into the outside of the building. The whole structure shook, and pieces of rock or plaster or whatever it was that these Cetra buildings were made of rained down on them.

"Damn," Reeve muttered, obviously as impressed as Cloud was.

"Sounds like its going to knock the whole building down," Tifa muttered.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, looking at the cracks that had appeared at the hit. "I think you may be right. Everyone, look around for another way out of here!"

The all scattered in different directions, searching for another exit. Every few seconds they heard the crashing again. The building would shake every time, and each time it happened Cloud was sure the whole thing was going to come down on top of them. Even if the thing didn't get in, it wouldn't do them much good to be buried in the rubble of the place.

There was what looked like some kind of machinery in most of the rooms. Cloud had no idea what it all might have been for and he didn't spend time thinking about it. He ran quickly through the rooms, swinging around until he eventually reappeared in the room they had started in. The others were all there already, except for Reeve, who stepped in just a few seconds after him.

They all looked at one another. Cloud shook his head.

"What, didn't the Cetra believe in back doors?" Reeve questioned.

"There are some windows on the upper floor," Tifa said. "Its a long drop from up there though."

"Sheesh," Cloud muttered.

The crashing came again, followed by more and louder crashing. It sounded as if an entire wall had fallen. They all hunched their shoulders in anticipation of the ceiling coming down on them, but after a moment, nothing else had happened.

"We have to get out of here," Cloud stated the obvious.

"How much longer do you think this place will last?" Tifa questioned.

"Not long, I fear," the Cetra Sage spoke up. "Though the Cetra were good craftsmen, these bulidings are far too old to take this kind of punishment."

"Good thing we came in these instead of those on the other side of the street then," Tifa commented. "They looked like a good wind could knock them down."

"Yeah," Cloud said slowly. "Yeah," he repeated.

Tifa looked at him. Slowly she came to recognize that look on his face.

"You have an idea?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he repeated once more. "I do. Tifa, did the windows upstairs look out on the street?"

"Some of them did."

"All right. Go up there and get your Ultima materia ready. You remember that building we passed right before we came in here, the one that was tilting like it was going to fall over at any moment?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to go back outside. Hopefully the creature will chase me. When it runs past that building, you hit the building with Ultima and hopefully it'll fall down on top of that thing."

"Uhh, that sounds like a lot of hopefullys to me," Reeve said dubiously.

"You got a better idea?" Cloud questioned.

"Well, no, not really."

"But Cloud, in order for you to get back outside you have to go past the monster," Tifa protested.

"Yeah, that is going to be a bit tricky," Cloud admitted. "But I'm pretty sure I can manage it."

"I don't like it," Tifa stated firmly.

"I'm open to alternative suggestions," Cloud said.

No one spoke.

"All right. Tifa, get up there and get ready. Reeve, you come with me. Maybe you can distract it a bit so I can get past it. Dannen... you stay out of the way."

"If I release the Ultima too soon I might crush you in the building, and if I'm too late you'll be stuck out there by yourself with that thing," Tifa tried one more time.

"We'll just have to take the chance," Cloud replied. He walked over to Tifa and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I have faith in you."

"Well, what if _I_ don't?" she questioned.

"You'll do fine," he reassured her.

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded, knowing there wasn't much else she could do. She turned away and walked reluctantly upstairs, not at all confident she could pull this off. Cloud nodded for Reeve to follow him and they walked over to the entrance to the other room. Cloud peered in and saw that, indeed, half the opposite wall appeared to have collapsed. There was a gaping hole where the entranceway had been. He could see the creature clearly now, though the hole it had made still wasn't quite large enough for it to get through, it seemed that would change at any moment.

"All right, you shoot at it, I'll run," he said to Reeve.

"That's the plan?" Reeve questioned.

"Yup, that's pretty much it. You ready."

Reeve shrugged and lifted up his shotgun.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Cloud prepared to run and waited for Reeve to fire. He didn't have to wait long. At the sound of the gun Cloud took off, as if the shot had been fired to start a race and not try to do damage to the monster in front of them.

The creature barely flinched at the hit.

Still, it did seem to momentarily distract it. Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking on Cloud's part. In any case, as soon as the shot was fired he ran forward.

The doorway was still there, sort of. The wall had collapsed on one side and the creatures bulk took up most of the space there, but Cloud could see daylight through part of the door frame that still existed. He lunged through it, expecting any moment to feel like a fly under a swatter.

And then he was outside. Immediately he turned and raced down the street, trying to put some distance between himself and the creature. A moment later he turned to look back, expecting to see it breathing down his neck.

Instead it seemed to have ignored him. It was still by the building, still trying to smash it's way in like some demented woodpecker.

Cloud stopped and stared at it. Either it knew there were more people inside and hadn't bothered with him, or it somehow hadn't seen him at all. Either way, this would not do.

"Hey!"

The monster, apparently so wrapped up in its destruction, didn't seem to hear him.

"I don't believe this," he muttered.

He ran back until he was standing as close as he dared.

"_Hey_!"

No effect. What, was the damn thing deaf?

Maybe all it's senses were dulled, maybe that's why they couldn't seem to hurt it very much.

Still, not very much wasn't the same as not at all. Their attacks didn't seem to be doing much damage, but they did seem to get it's attention.

He ran forward and slashed at the back of the creatures leg with his sword.

The creature spun around. After getting no reaction from it for so long, it almost took him by surprise. A giant clawed arm descended upon him, but he lunged out of the way, cutting it so close that one claw did manage to slice into his shoulder. Even that was almost enough to knock him over. Almost but not quite. Having achieved his goal of drawing the creatures ire, he turned and ran once again.

The building that was his target wasn't that far away. It would only take him seconds to reach it. As he closed in on it he glanced back, trying to spot Tifa, but the creature blotted out most of his view.

Turning around was a mistake, however. The ground was strewn with debris, mostly crumbled stone from the buildings around him. When he turned, his foot caught on one of them, and he suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground.

The fall left him uninjured, and he sprang to his feet almost immediately, but he had lost precious seconds, and now the creature was right behind him. He didn't bother to look back now, he didn't have to. He expected at any moment to fell the things claws on his back. He glanced up and saw he was right beneath the tilted building now. Tifa would have to use the materia soon. He had to get out of the way before the building came down on top of him.

He hadn't been able to see Tifa when he looked back, but she could see him. Perched in an opening high up in the building they had sought refuge in, she had a clear view of the entire block. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Cloud fall right in front of her target. The monster was closing in fast. In a moment he would be in position, but Cloud was right in front of it. She didn't know if he would have time to get out of the way.

She only had a second to decide. She didn't have time to hesitate. In a moment, the creature would be beyond the building, out of the danger zone itself. She had to do it now, or leave Cloud to his fate.

Her hand tightened around the materia and it's bright green glow light up her hands.

It was bad enough the creature was after him, might even kill him, but if she timed this wrong _she_ could be the one that killed him. The building could flatten him just as easily as that beast could. Could she live with that? He might be better off facing the monster than a falling building. They were too close, his stumble had left him with not enough distance to get out of the way. Or so it seemed. She couldn't tell for sure. He was out of the way now, wasn't he? Was he far enough ahead? Was it too late already?

Just do it, dammit!

She released the ultima.

The entire front of the building she was aiming at exploded outward. As they had suspected, this proved too much for the crazily tilted structure to handle, and a moment later, with a tremendous roar, the entire building came crashing down into the street.

Tifa tried to keep Cloud in view, but it was impossible. She only saw him for a moment, running like a madman, before the debris from the building obscured him from view. From this angle, she couldn't tell if the debris was falling down behind him or right on top of him.

A moment later she was running herself, down the stairs and out of the building, into the street before the echo of the rumble of the collapse had faded away.

She couldn't see anything out on the street. Dust from the collapse filled the air around her. She ran forward blindly. She heard Reeve's voice behind her, calling out, but she didn't answer. She could only see a few feet in front of herself. She came abruptly to a huge pile of rubble in the street and realized she had reached the fallen building. She climbed over the debris, calling out Cloud's name, searching desperately, though she could barely see her hand in front of her face.

She reached the other side of the pile of rubble. She stopped, but saw no sign of Cloud. She looked around desperately but she still couldn't see very far.

"Cloud! Where are you?"

The sounds of the collapse had faded away now, replaced by an ominous silence. She couldn't hear her friends anymore, couldn't hear the beast. Except for the sound of her labored breathing, everything seemed to have gone deathly silent.

"Cloud!"

She strained her ears. She thought she could hear the faint sound of someone scrambling over the rocks, but it was back the way she had come, and she figured it must be Reeve and the Cetra Sage.

"Cloud?"

Her voice wasn't as loud this time. It wasn't a shout, more like a plea.

A moan.

She turned, staring off in the direction the sound had come from.

"Cloud!"

She ran a few steps, then stopped again. The dust was beginning to clear, but she still couldn't see very far.

"Tifa!"

His voice sounded weak, but just to hear it at all sent a wave of relief washing through her. He didn't sound far away. She ran in the direction of the voice.

"Where are you?"

"Over here."

And then she saw him. Lying on his stomach, half buried in the rubble. She ran over and stooped down beside him, pulling the debris off of him.

"Thank God you're alive! I thought I had killed you!"

"I was kinda worried you might have myself," he said. "Did you have to cut it so close?"

"I wouldn't have cut it so close if you hadn't fallen down!" she exclaimed. "Cloud Strife, why do you have to be such a klutz? I could just kill you!"

"You almost did."

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed.

"It's all right. I was the one who told you to do it, now wasn't I?"

"Are you hurt?"

He pushed the last of the debris off himself. Tifa gave him a hand getting up. He brushed himself off, looking down for a moment.

"All over," he replied. "But I don't think anything is seriously damaged."

At that moment Reeve and the Cetra Sage came running up.

"You all right?" Reeve asked.

Cloud nodded. He looked over at the pile of debris. The air had almost completely cleared now. There was no sign of the creature that had been attacking them.

"Looks like that did the trick," he commented.

"Yeah," Reeve agreed. "But maybe we better get out of here as quickly as we can. No telling that there might be more than one."

Cloud nodded.

"Good idea. I don't see anymore handy buildings to drop on one."

He looked at Tifa, but she just glared at him.

"Don't even _think_ about ever asking me to do anything like that again," she told him.

"Let's go."

They continued on their way, or rather, backtracked the way they had come. Reeve hadn't been too concerned about where they were going when they were running from the beast. Getting away with their skin intact had seemed to be more important than going in the direction they had needed to go. As a result they had gotten quite a bit off track. The Cetra Sage led them back the way they had come until they reached the point where they had first encountered the monster. When Cloud thought about it he realized they had wasted a large part of the day with this little diversion. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. There was no day or night down here, only the omnipresent Cetra glow all around them. It let them see, but gave them no concept of the passage of time. There was no sun to sink to the horizon, no stars, nothing to indicate day or night. Cloud looked up and saw only inky blackness above them. Somewhere up there, he knew the ceiling of the cavern lay, but he couldn't see it. The Cetra glow didn't extent up that high. It was strange though, looking up, he could almost believe there was no cavern above them, that they were indeed out under the sky, a dark night sky with no stars or moon. Like Ifalnia, this Cetra city had a distinct feeling of otherworldliness. Time and space both seemed strangely distorted somehow, though if asked exactly how Cloud would never have been able to explain. They could have been down here for hours, they could have been down here for days. It was impossible to tell.

So all Cloud knew was that they had lost a lot of time. How much exactly he wasn't sure, but what difference did it make? They had lost whatever time they had lost and they couldn't make up for that. They would just have to hurry on as fast as they could from this point onward.

Of course, that was easier said than done. The streets around them sloped slowly downward here. They came around a turn and stopped. Looking ahead they could see the street in front of them was flooded with water.

The Cetra Sage walked up to the edge of the water and peered ahead. The street was flooded for as far as they could see. In fact, judging from the height of the waterline along the buildings, it was obvious that its depth increased rapidly.

"We don't have to cross that, do we?" Reeve questioned.

The Cetra Sage stood there for a minute before answering, looking around with a somewhat befuddled look on his face. It was obvious he had not been expecting such an obstacle.

"This was not here when I last passed through," he said.

"Great," Cloud said slowly. "Can we go around?"

He looked out over the water. It was opaque, and had a greenish tint to it. Of course, in the Cetra light, everything had a greenish tint. Still, he didn't like the look of it, and wasn't anxious to go stomping through it. He could see from the looks on the others faces that they felt much the same.

"I don't know," Dannen replied. "The last time I came through, this was the way I came. There was no flood then. It's a huge city, I'm sure there must be a way around it somehow, but it might take us quite some time to find it."

"Wonderful," Cloud muttered. "Do you think we can walk through it?"

"I suppose it depends on how deep it gets," the Cetra Sage replied.

"Look up ahead. The water level is almost as high as the top of the doorways," Reeve observed. "And it might get deeper than that beyond. I don't think we'll be able to go this way, short of swimming."

"And who knows what may be lurking out there under the surface," Tifa commented.

"Yeah, there is that. It was bad enough fighting things on land," Reeve agreed.

"Let's see if we can find an alternate route," the Cetra Sage suggested.

"How long will that take?" Cloud asked impatiently.

"As I said, there's really no way for me to tell," Dannen replied. "I know you're anxious to get there but there's no way for us to tell how deep that water gets or how far it extends. Do you seriously think we should try to cross it?"

Cloud didn't reply. Dannen was right, and he knew it. It would be foolish to attempt to cross that water given all the unknowns. Yet he wasn't happy about having to hunt for another way through and be delayed yet again.

Tifa came up beside him.

"Aeris will be all right," she said. "She can take care of herself."

"Can she?" Cloud answered sharply. "We let her run off one other time and look what happened to her."

Tifa just stared at him for a moment, disturbed by his tone. Whatever had gone wrong so far, it certainly wasn't any of their faults. She started to say something, then changed her mind and just walked away from him.

"Aeris didn't run off by herself this time," Reeve spoke up. "She was abducted. I want her back as much as you do, believe me, but it's like the Cetra Sage said, if they had wanted to kill her they could have done it long ago. I want to get there quickly too but look what we ran into last time. If we had taken our time and been more careful we might have been able to find away around that creature without being detected, and in the long run that would have saved us time."

"So what are you saying, that I've been too rash?" Cloud questioned.

"You've always been too rash," Tifa commented, in no mood to defend him.

"No, I'm not saying that," Reeve tried to be diplomatic. "I know how tough it is making the decisions. It's always easy to second guess when things go wrong. Yes, some of the things you come up with seem a bit.. unorthodox at times, but I'm sure everyone here will admit that most of the time they work out. All I'm saying is we should at least _try_ to find a way around before we plunge into that water. We want to hurry yes, but if we run into something we can't handle..."

"Like a giant sea monster," Tifa suggested.

"And get ourselves killed," Reeve continued after a moment. "Then we're not going to do Aeris much good, now are we?"

Cloud stood there for a moment, then sighed. He had to concede that Reeve made a good argument. He _was_ rash, at times, more often than he'd like to admit. They could at least try to find a way around.

"Very well," he agreed. "Let's see if we can find a way around it."

That decided, they set off once again. Cloud wasn't all that happy about the situation but he decided to look at the bright side. They were in the middle of a city, there hadn't been water there before. How much of it could there be? It was quite likely that they would find their way around it quite easily.

But of course, it didn't happen that way.

They walked for hours, or at least it seemed that way to Cloud. Yet every time they turned down a road in the ultimate direction they wanted to go, the watery barrier remained. Cloud held his tongue until even the others began to look impatient.

"This could take us forever," he finally said.

They stopped. No one spoke for a long time.

"I'm not anxious to try to cross that water," Tifa said eventually, though her voice did not ring with her earlier conviction.

"This lake does seem to be larger than I anticipated," the Cetra Sage said ruefully.

They walked down to the edge of the water once more.

"If it's as large across as it is wide, it's too far to swim," Tifa said.

"The buildings stick out of it," Reeve replied. "I'm sure we'll be able to get into at least some of them."

Cloud looked up at the buildings that stood in the water like so many... oversized stepping stones and suddenly an idea came to him.

"We can't go around, we don't want to go through, what's to say we can't go over?"

The others just looked at him.

He pointed to the structures in front of them.

"The buildings are close together. The roofs are far above the water. We can cross by going from roof to roof."

"Going from roof to roof," Tifa repeated slowly.

"Yeah, we're in the middle of a city. Most of the buildings are right next to one another," Cloud continued.

"Most of them being the key point," Reeve stated, looking at the buildings in the water. "There are a few gaps."

"They don't look very far. We can probably jump them."

"Jump them?" Tifa said, not sounding at all happy about that idea.

"Yes, jump them," he repeated.

Tifa looked at him uncertainly.

"I don't know Cloud," she said slowly, then looked at the others.

The Cetra Sage seemed perfectly happy to accept whatever judgment they made. Reeve stared down the street.

"Well," he said after a moment, "It might be possible. I'm not sure I want to jump across buildings though."

"I'm sure I don't," Tifa said.

"C'mon," Cloud cajoled. "Look, what's the worst that could happen?"

"We plummet to out deaths?" Tifa offered.

"They'll be water below us, remember?" Cloud countered. "We're not going to fall to our deaths, we'll just get wet. That's the beauty of it."

"That doesn't seem all that beautiful to me," Tifa replied. "I don't want to get wet either. Especially in that water."

"So what, you're rather walk around here until your legs fall off?"

"No but... well... I don't know," Tifa ended lamely.

Cloud looked at Reeve.

"Well, what do you think?"

Reeve shrugged.

"I don't like it much, but I can't think of anything better."

"All right then, its settled."

Even though he said that, he looked at Tifa like it was far from.

She sighed.

"_Fine_! But if I end up splattered against a wall, I'll never forgive you!"

"I won't let you splatter, I promise," Cloud said.

"If we're going to do this I suggest we grab some of the vines growing on these buildings to use as rope, if we need it," Reeve said helpfully.

Realizing the wisdom of this, Cloud and Reeve grabbed some sturdy vines and wrapped enough around their shoulders to let them climb for several stories, if necessary. After that they looked around and soon found a way into one of the buildings at the edge of the water. Seeing as how the building they had been in had only one entrance, Cloud wasn't sure they'd be able to find a way onto the roof. Since most of the buildings were overgrown with vegetation, he thought they wouldn't have any trouble climbing up the outside, so it wouldn't be a major catastrophe if they didn't find a way up inside. As it happened, the point became moot when they found a trapdoor that led out onto the roof quite easily at the top of the stairs.

At first the going was easy, just as Cloud had said. The buildings here were right next to one another and they didn't have any trouble going from roof to roof. They made pretty decent time as well. Not quite as fast as they would have traveled on the streets, but fast enough to keep Cloud satisfied. Soon dry land disappeared behind them and they found themselves with nothing but buildings and water stretching as far as they could see.

"This isn't a lake, it's an ocean," Reeve commented.

No one had an argument with that.

They went on for hours. Again, Cloud wasn't sure exactly how long. They stopped to rest at least twice. Things had been going surprising well, even Tifa had to admit, at least she would have until they finally reached a gap that they had to jump.

It wasn't that large. All of them made it easily. The water had risen, and was now not far before the roofs of the buildings. This actually made things easier because it was less fearful to know you weren't going to fall very far if you missed. After making the first jump without mishap, all their spirits rose.

Still, the could see no end to the water down below. If anything, given the depth of the water, they figured they were farther from the shore than ever. Still, the shouldered onward gamely.

Eventually they were forced to stop by what Tifa had feared most. They came to the edge of one building and were faced with a gap they could not possibly jump across.

Cloud walked up to the edge and stared down at the water below, then at the buildings around them.

"Anyone see any way around?"

That was exactly what the others were looking for.

"We may be able to get across over there," Reeve said, pointing.

"Where?" Cloud questioned.

"There," Reeve said, continuing to point. "See those buildings in a line over there, three tall ones with a short one in the middle."

"Oh yeah, I see. Way over there?"

"I don't see anything closer."

Cloud chewed on that for a bit.

"That's a long way off," he said finally. "It'll take hours to go around that way."

"You're probably right," Reeve conceded.

"Well, what other choice do we have?" Tifa asked.

Cloud didn't reply, just stood at the edge of roof, looking down at the water below. It wasn't far to the next building, just a few minutes swim.

Tifa guessed what he was thinking and stepped back.

"No, you don't want to do that, do you?" she said distastefully.

"Well, I don't _want_ to, but it's a lot simpler and quicker than going _all_ the way around, isn't it. Why spend hours going around when it will just take us a few minutes to swim across."

"But...I... its not..." Tifa tried to get out a coherent sentence and failed, and finally satisfied herself with just staring at him, hoping that would get her point across.

"What, you're afraid of a little water?" Cloud questioned. "You're not going to melt of anything, are you?"

"Well, no, but still. It looks... unpleasant."

"Whatever happened to that wild spirited adventuress I used to know and love?" Cloud questioned.

"Wild spirited adventuress? Who _are_ you talking about?" she responded.

"Okay, maybe not wild spirited adventuress, but you never used to complain this much about the crazy things I asked us to do. What's happened to you?"

"I grew up and had a child," she replied. "I'm not the devil may care person I used to be and I'm glad. I'd like nothing more than to be back home sitting in front of the fire next to you with Zangan in my arms."

She stopped, realizing what she had just said. In Cloud's condition, that might never happen.

He noticed her look, but let it pass. That was something they couldn't worry about right now. He slowly walked over to her.

"You don't really have any valid objection to swimming across, do you?"

She opened her mouth, then shut it. She looked down at the water below.

"I didn't think so," Cloud said. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed hold of her, lifting her up in his arms. Divining his intentions, she suddenly shrieked.

"Cloud, no, _don't_!"

It was too late, by the time she had finished her sentence, they were both plunging down into the water below.

Cloud let go of her when they hit the water. With a powerful thrust of his arms he rose to the surface. A moment later Tifa's form broke the water in front of him.

"You are such a retard!" she exclaimed.

He just smiled at her.

"I love you too," he said. "C'mon, lighten up." He started to do the backstroke in a lazy circle around her. "It's like deja vu all over again."

"Deja vu all over again? Isn't that redundant?"

"You tell me."

"All right. Yes it is. And what are you talking about anyway?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"At the reactor in Junon. When we were trying to bring Aeris back to life and the metal walk broke? We had to swim to get back across and you were kind of reluctant then too if I recall correctly."

She treaded water for a moment, a pensive look on her face.

"You were a retard back then too!" she proclaimed suddenly. Then she lunged forward, grabbing his head and pushing it under.

They swam across the gap without further incident, and the others followed when they were safely across. After that they continued on their way and soon noticed that the water level seemed to be dropping again. Taking this as a hopeful sign that they were finally nearing the other side they pressed onward with renewed vigor. That came to a few more gaps, but all of them were narrow and easily jumped. Eventually Reeve called out that he could see the street once again ahead. With great relief they descended from the rooftops onto dry land once more.

"How much farther do we have to go?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm not completely sure," the Cetra Sage replied. "I've never taken this route before, but we must be very close by now."

And as it happened, he was more correct than even he thought. They had only gone a few more blocks when they saw a line of rubble in the streets in front of them.

"What's this?" Reeve questioned. "Another road block?"

"Yes, but this is an expected one," Dannen said. "That's the barricade that surrounds the old city from the inhabited portion. Congratulation gentlemen, and lady, we've made it."


	17. On the Road to Rocket Town

CHAPTER XVII

ON THE ROAD TO ROCKET TOWN

Nibelheim had never had any big city aspirations. The fall of Shinra and the destruction wrought to Midgar by the coming of the meteor had left the field open for other cities to step up, to fill the economic and political hole that the abandonment of Midgar had created. There was no lack for takers. Junon, the largest city left, had continued to grow, but it was by no means the only candidate vying to take over the role of most important city on the planet. Wutai was more than willing to step up as well now that it's old rival was out of the way. Corel had seen explosive growth over the last few years, now that it's coal was suddenly in demand again all over the planet and was quite proud of the fact that it was the city that had undergone the largest population increase since the fall of Shinra. Even Gongaga, though still behind these others, was growing rapidly. The people of Nibelheim, however, were unimpressed by all that, and in fact, were just as proud that their city had grown the _least_ since the fall of Shinra. Anytime an entrepreneur or businessman came up with some big plans for the town they were pointed in the direction of Gongaga or Rocket Town and politely sent on their way. Nibelheim was a small town and the people who lived there liked it that way. The people lived quietly and contently in their homes, and visitors were few and far between.

So it was that a small plane coming in to land on the outskirts of the town drew quite a bit of attention.

Shera stepped out of the Tiny Bronco as the crowd gathered. It was mostly a group of children who had been playing football in the field nearby, but a few adults as well. She waved and smiled and walked into town. As she did so more adults appeared, most of them gathering up their children and taking them home when it became obvious that Shera was not part of a flying circus, nor bringing supplies to the town, but was instead involved with 'those people' up at the Shinra Mansion.

By the time she reached the mansion, she was alone. Which was fine with her. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here to get the others and go. Cid had told her to get Red and Elena and Lai La and bring them to Rocket Town, where Reno and Yuffie were already headed. She had been flying practically nonstop back and forth to the island where the Slipstream was for the last two days and it had been hectic. The Tiny Bronco wasn't the roomiest plane in the world, and she was tired and sore from sitting in that cramped and very uncomfortable pilot's seat. The others were going to take the Bronco and look for Vincent once she got back to Rocket Town and she would be more than willing to hand it over. She could think of nothing that would make her happier than getting Sydney from her sisters and bringing her back home and just being Shera the Mom again.

At the moment she felt more like Shera the ping pong ball. Shera, go get Tifa and Reeve on Round Island, no, Shera, go take the Tiny Bronco to Reno and Yuffie in Rocket Town, no, wait, go get Red, Lai Li and Elena in Nibelheim. She really needed to give a long talking to whoever was the mastermind behind all this planning.

She walked into mansion and looked around for a moment. She had never been here before, but Cid had said it wasn't hard to find and she had to admit he was right. Well, he had actually said it was so easy to find that even she couldn't miss it, to be precise. He had also told her where the basement was. Straight ahead, up the stairs, turn right, the entrance was in the back room on the right hand side. Not difficult instructions, yet he'd looked at her as if there wasn't a chance in hell she'd find it without getting lost.

The air was filled with a musty odor. The place looked uninhabited. Uninhabited for a long time, in fact. The paint was peeling off the walls, and the colors of the curtains, which she suspected had once been bright and varied, had faded to a uniform dull gray. The floorboards creaked as she walked on them.

She reached the room leading down to the basement only to find not a stairway but instead a gaping hole in front of her. Funny, for some reason Cid's directions had failed to mention that. On closer inspection she the remnants of a staircase still attached to the walls below, but hardly usable. More promising, she also saw a rope ladder hanging down into the abyss. With some misgivings, mostly about the sturdiness of the ladder, she started down.

She made it to the bottom without mishap. Cid's instructions had ended there, but all she saw in front of her was a long corridor. The walls were bare rock, and the place seemed more like a cave than a basement. There were lights spaced along the walls, but they were far between and seemed to give off little actual light. The musty oldness of upstairs seemed to have abruptly been replaced by damp and darkness, giving this lower chamber of the building a distinctly creepy atmosphere.

Shera hesitated, not sure what to do, wondering how big the place was and how unpleasant it would be to get lost down here. The corridor only went in one direction, however, so there really wasn't much to think about. To make things even simpler, while she stood there contemplating she heard voices coming from somewhere not far ahead. Reassured, she continued forward.

The voices were coming from a room on the right. She walked in and saw Red and Lai Li standing in front of a table filled with lab equipment. Elena sat in a nearby corner, reading some papers. No one seemed to noticed Shera's entrance.

"I'm here," she announced.

The others looked up from what they were doing.

"Oh hi Shera," Lai Li spoke up.

"I understand you need a lift to Rocket Town," Shera said.

"Yes," Red said. "We've altered the drug Lucrecia was giving to Vincent enough that the Chadara cells in him should be suseptible to it again. We hope that if we give Vincent one massive dose of it, that it might kill all the Chadara cells at once and turn him back into a normal human being."

"You hope?" Shera questioned.

"There's no way to tell for sure if it will work, and unfortunately we don't have any test subjects to test it on. It's extremely risky. Even if it does work, the shock of losing all those Chadara cells could kill Vincent, or the human cells he has left might not be enough to keep his body functioning."

"It's kind of a desperation thing," Lai Li stated gravely.

Shera didn't really care for the sound of that. She glanced over at Elena, but the girl hardly seemed to be listening.

"There's no other way you can help him?" she questioned.

"No," Red replied. "Lucrecia's experiment increased the amount of Chadara cells in him, so much so that the Chaos beast has become dominant. I don't think there's any way Vincent can regain control without this. It's really his only chance."

"So what, you have to inject whatever you've made into him?" she asked. "Or does he have to drink it or something?"

"Drinking it wouldn't work," Red said. "The drug would be broken down in his digestive tract. Injection is correct, but either way it's not going to be easy. I don't think Vincent is going to sit still for whatever we may attempt. I don't know if he'll let anyone get close enough to him to give him the dose."

"So why not use one of those dart gun thingies? You know, like they do on those animal shows?"

"Unfortunately we don't have one of them handy," Lai Li replied. "That's not something you'll find for sale in your average store. We could probably find one eventually, but who knows how long it will take."

"Yes, we have to stop Vincent as soon as possible," Red added. "So far he's remained in remote areas, far from any population centers, but if he heads for a town it could be a disaster. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

Shera nodded. She could see the wisdom of that. Still, it sounded very risky, both for Vincent and whoever the poor fool was who got to try to stick a needle in him.

"So who is it who's going to try this?" she questioned.

No one answered. Red and Lai Li both looked at Elena, who lifted her head when she realized that. She turned to Shera. She opened her mouth, then hesitated. It was obvious she had something to say but was having a hard time getting it out.

"I'd like you to... take me back to Junon," she said finally.

The others just looked at her as if they hadn't heard her right.

"Back to Junon?" Shera said after a moment.

Elena hesitated. It was obvious she was still very upset.

"Yes," she said. "Back to Junon. We have a store to take care of. I can't... I can't go gallivanting around. I have... responsibilities."

Shera looked at the other two, but the expression on their faces told her this was as big a surprise to them as it was to her. Vincent was in trouble, he needed help and she wanted to go back to Junon? What had gotten into her?

"Are you sure?" she said slowly.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Elena snapped. She stood up suddenly, tossing the papers she was reading onto the ground. "Why does everyone question what I do? Why can't you just leave me alone!"

And with that she turned and ran out of the room.

Shera just stood there, stunned at the sudden outburst. She looked at the others once more.

"What's gotten into her?"

"I don't know," Red replied. "She's been like that since she got here. She's barely talked at all, and she doesn't seem to be all that interested in what we're doing. I don't understand it."

Shera looked at Lai Li but the linguist just shook her head. The truth was she hadn't really been paying that much attention to Elena, being too engrossed in working on their drug.

It was obvious to Shera she wasn't going to get any answers from these two.

"I'll go talk to her," she said.

It took Shera a few minutes to find Elena. She was not familiar with the layout of the basement and ended up in a room with some coffins in it before finding the young Turk in the library, sitting in a chair and crying softly. Shera came up and stood beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

She waited patiently for Elena to speak.

"I didn't want him to go," she said eventually. "I told him not to. I knew it. I knew... something wasn't right. He wouldn't listen. I even told him... I even told him that if he went, I might not be waiting for him when he came back."

She lifted her head and looked at Shera.

"He didn't listen to me. No one listens to me!"

"That's not true," Shera replied.

"Yes it is!" Elena shot back. "He told me he loved me. We bought a store. I thought things were going to settle down. I thought we could have some peace! And we could have. We could have if he just would have listened to me. But no! He had to run off with some stupid idea of becoming completely human again!"

"It wasn't a stupid idea," Shera responded. "You know he was doing it for the both of you?"

"Was he? Were things really so bad the way they were? He was in control, he come to terms with what he was. Or at least I thought he had. I loved him! I didn't care about Chaos. I was happy with him the way he was."

"Can you really blame him for wanting to be human again?" Shera asked.

"No, of course not, but I told him it wouldn't work. I told him it wouldn't and he didn't listen. Everyone keeps saying he was doing it for me, for us, but that's not true. He was doing it for himself. I was perfectly happy with him the way he was. Now things are all messed up and it's his own stupid fault!"

"Elena," Shera said slowly.

"I know," Elena cut her off. "No one's going to believe that. No one ever believes me. Everyone is going to think he did it for us, because he wanted to be human again and how can I be mad at him for that? They're going to say he needs me now. How can I just abandon him? How can I be so callous? That's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? Well you know what? I don't care anymore. I don't care what anyone thinks. Just take me back to Junon. I just want to go back."

Shera really didn't know how to respond. Elena was distraught, that was obvious. She didn't think the young girl _really_ wanted to go back to Junon, but she didn't know what to say that might convince her otherwise, not when she was in the state she was in, not when she was so upset.

She walked over and put her hand on Elena's shoulder.

"If you really want to go back to Junon then I'll take you," she said. "Maybe... maybe it would be better if you just stepped away from this for a bit. I don't think anyone is going to think the less of you for that."

"I don't know. I don't care," Elena said doubtfully. "I just... oh Shera, I don't know what to do! I don't want to abandon him but I'm just so mad! He didn't have to do this. He didn't have to go. It was all so unnecessary. I just wish he would have listened to me."

"It's all right, Elena. We'll work it all out. I guess I might feel the same way if I were in your position. Unfortunately saying I told you so isn't going to help matters any. I do have one question for you though. A moment ago you said you loved him. I couldn't help but notice you used the past tense. Do you still?"

"Love him?"

"Yes."

Elena sat there for a moment, then bowed her head, looking down at the floor.

"I... I don't know," she said in a small voice.

Shera had nothing to say to that. Elena was right about one thing at least, this had sure turned into one fine mess.

"I'll take you back whenever you're ready," she said.

Elena nodded. Shera wanted to say more, but she didn't think talk would help much at this point. This was something Elena was going to have to work out on her own. She returned to the other room. Red and Lai Li looked at her expectantly when she entered.

"She wants to go back," Shera announced.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Lai Li questioned.

"I don't know," Shera replied honestly. "But she's a big girl. None of us can force her to go to Rocket Town if she doesn't want to. Are you two ready to go?"

Red and Lai Li looked at each other, then the red beast nodded.

"All right," Shera replied. "You might as well come with us back to Junon, then I won't have to stop here again on my way back."

"All right, just give us a few minutes to get things packed up," Lai Li said.

Shera nodded.

"All right, I'll meet you all outside."

She walked out of the room, heading back toward the ladder. Now she had to go back to Junon, and then Rocket Town. Another delay before she got to see Sydney. Looks like Shera the ping pong ball was on the road again.

* * *

"I'm hungry."

"Good for you."

"Oh shut up Reno."

"Maybe I would if you did. You've been whining about one thing or another practically since we left Nibelheim," Reno replied caustically.

"It's not the situation, it's the company," Yuffie shot back. "I'm not whining. This is a legitimate complaint. We haven't had anything to eat in _hours_."

"It hasn't been that long," Reno replied. "Besides, it's stupid to stop now. In a couple of hours we'll be in Rocket Town and you can eat all you want."

"But I'm hungry _now_," Yuffie countered, sounding even more whiny than usual, something that Reno did not doubt was quite deliberate.

Reno didn't bother to reply, instead he looked at Rude, who just shrugged. The problem with having such a stoic partner was that he never had an opinion even when you wanted one, and he wasn't about to ask Ichiero for his.

"Fine!" Reno gave in. "If you want to eat we'll stop and eat. And if we get to Rocket Town and Vincent has already torn it apart, well, don't come crying to me."

Yuffie made a face at him.

"I'm beginning to think I'd be better off facing the Chaos beast then spending a minute more with you!"

Seeing that they were indeed taking a break from their trip Rude sat down on a nearby rock.

"Are you two ever going to stop?" he questioned.

"I'll stop if he will," Yuffie retorted.

"Oh yeah, that's mature," was all Reno had to say.

Rude just had to shake his head.

"Let's just eat, shall we?" Yuffie suggested.

Reno pulled his pack off while the others plopped on the ground nearby. He rummaged through it for a moment but then stopped.

"Oh boy," he muttered.

"What?" Rude questioned.

Reno lifted up his pack and looked at the outside of it, fitting his hand into a large tear along the seam.

"My pack must have torn open in our little scuffle with Vincent. Most everything that was in it is...," he looked back the way they had come. "Back there somewhere."

"Too bad for you," Yuffie commented.

"Too bad for you too," Reno replied. "I think all the food was in my pack."

Yuffie just stared at him.

"You packed all the food into one pack?" he questioned finally.

Reno shrugged.

"It seemed simpler that way."

"You jerk! That's the last time we let you get the supplies!"

"Oh chill out," Reno replied. "We're only a couple of hours from Rocket Town. No one is going to starve to death."

"But I told you, I'm hungry now!"

"Oh well, what do want me to do, conjure something out of mid air?"

"Wait a sec," Yuffie said suddenly. She pulled open her own pack and rooted through it for a moment, then cried out in triumph as she pulled out a package.

"Ah ha, I got a few things myself before we left. There were a couple of items in the store that I wanted to bring back to Wutai with me."

Reno looked at what she was holding.

"Won Ton soup?"

"Yes. I can make Wutai Won Ton."

"Wutai Won Ton?" Reno questioned.

"Yes, Wutai Won Ton," Yuffie repeated.

"What's the difference between Won Ton and Wutai Won Ton?"

"Wutai Won Ton has some special herbs added," she replied. "It's an ancient Wutai recipe."

Reno didn't look to thrilled with this idea.

"Great, so you're going to add grass to our soup?"

"Not grass, you idiot. Herbs."

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," Reno said.

"Hey, I'm not incompetent," Yuffie retorted. "I know how to boil water. I used to make it when I was a kid. It's delicious."

"Boiled water is delicious?"

"No, Wutai Won Ton you jerk!"

"Where are you going to get herbs around here?" Reno questioned.

"I'm sure I can find them if I look around a bit," she stated. "They're pretty common."

"Common around Wutai, you mean," Reno said. "That doesn't mean you'll find them around here."

"You're such a pessimist," she told him.

"Maybe I've got good reason to be," he said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter to me. I don't have to eat it anyway."

"Fine, miss out if you want. More for us!" Yuffie said before starting to stalk off.

"Wait, I'll come with you," Ichiero piped up.

"Have you had Wutai Won Ton?" Yuffie asked, stopping.

"Of course," Ichiero replied. "My mother used to make it for me all the time when I was little."

"All right, come on then," Yuffie said. She glared at Reno for a moment, then smiled at Ichiero.

Reno ignored her, lying down on the ground, flat on his back, staring up at the sky as she and Ichiero wandered away.

"Finally some peace and quiet," he muttered.

It didn't take long for Yuffie and Ichiero to return, the samurai holding what looked a lot like grass to Reno in his hands. Taking out the cooking gear, which fortunately had been stored in Rude's pack, Yuffie soon had a pan of soup simmering on a small fire.

Ichiero kneeled down beside the pan and too a deep breath.

"Smells very good," he said.

This seemed to please Yuffie immensely.

Reno just rolled his eyes.

Yuffie slowly added her herbs, stirring in between. Finally declaring it was ready, she poured it into small cups for all of them. Rude declined, stating he wasn't hungry. Yuffie looked at Reno, who shrugged and took one of the cups, eyeing the contents suspiciously. Ichiero was the first to take a taste. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head and smiled.

"It is good," he said.

Something in the way he said it made Reno think he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as he let on. Yuffie turned and stared at Reno.

"Well, are you going to eat?" she questioned.

Reno sniffed at it. He wasn't about to admit it, but it smelled pretty good. He took a little sip.

He grimaced.

"Oh man, that's disgusting!"

"It is not!" Yuffie protested.

"It is too!" Reno shot back. "Are you trying to poison me?"

"I wish I had!"

"It tastes like sewer water!"

"It does not! Ichiero likes it!"

"He's just saying that!"

"He is not!"

"Is too! Just look at his face when he takes a sip. He hates it."

"Then why did he say it was good?"

"Because he's kissing up to you, that's why!"

"Ichiero, it that true?"

"No, Miss. Yuffie."

"See?"

"He's lying!"

With that Ichiero stood up and pulled out his sword.

"You insult me more times than you should!"

"Oh good grief, this again?" Reno retorted, sounding bored. "What are you going to do, stab me?"

"No, I teach you a lesson."

The sword flicked out and Reno felt a sting on the side of his cheek as the flat of the weapon hit it.

"Ouch!"

"Apologize!" Ichiero demanded.

"Screw you," was Reno's instant retort.

The blade flashed again, hitting Reno's other cheek.

"Dammit!" Reno snapped. He brought his hand up to his cheek and it came away with some blood on it.

Ichiero advanced, the sword flicking out and catching Reno on the side, the shoulder, the leg, anywhere that was left undefended, the flat of the blade leaving behind a nasty sting but doing no real damage. Reno stumbled backwards under the onslaught, trying to pull out his nightstick while keeping his balance. He succeeded at the former but failed at the latter, and suddenly found himself landing hard on his rear end in the dirt.

Even as he did so, however, his nightstick came to life. The flash of light struck Icheiro dead in the center of his chest. He jerked backwards and fell to the ground as well, though he did not cry out.

Instantly Yuffie was beside him. Ichiero just lay there, stunned. Yuffie lifted his head into her lap and turned toward Reno.

"Reno you _jerk_!" she shouted.

"Me?" Reno snapped back. "Me? What about him? He was the one who started it!"

"He wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't been so insulting!"

"What are you talking about? You're at least as insulting as I am and nobody attacked you!"

"Oh just shut up!"

Ichiero's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you all right?" Yuffie questioned.

The young samurai did not reply for a moment, just lay there, staring off into space. Then he shook his head slowly to clear it.

He looked over at Reno, then reached out and picked up his sword, pulling himself to his feet.

Yuffie grabbed hold of him.

"Stop it," she said. "It's stupid to fight with him. Forget about him Ichiero, he's just a moron."

Ichiero stopped. He stood there for a moment looking at Reno darkly.

"He insulted me. And worse, he insults you," he said after a moment.

"Just ignore him," Yuffie replied. "That's just Reno's way. He insults everyone. He's not worth bothering with. Besides, we have a job to do. We have to find Vincent, remember?"

Ichiero hesitated for a moment more before finally giving in.

"Very well," he said. "I will leave him alone until after we have accomplished what we have set out to do. After that, beware!"

He glared at Reno for a moment which Reno ignored.

"C'mon, let's get going," Yuffie said, tugging at the samurai's arm. "We've wasted enough time here. If we don't start out soon it'll be dark before we reach Rocket Town."

Ichiero looked at the soup that Yuffie hadn't touched yet.

"But I thought you want to eat."

Yuffie glared at Reno.

"I lost my appetite. C'mon."

Ichiero merely nodded, and without waiting, or further speech, the two walked off.

As they walked away Rude came over and crouched down beside Reno, who was still on the ground.

"Smooth," his companion commented.

"Smooth? What's that supposed to mean?" Reno asked.

"You know, you have a very strange way of showing affection."

"Affection? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and Yuffie."

"Me and Yuffie? What about us?"

Rude gave him a knowing look.

"You know it's shameless the way you flirt with her."

Reno turned and looked at him.

"What?"

"I have to admit I've never seen you act like that before. It's not like you at all to be so smitten with someone."

Reno sat up.

"Smitten? You think I'm smitten?"

Rude didn't reply, just looked at him.

"What kind of a stupid word is smitten anyway?" Reno continued.

"Trying to change the subject?"

"I'm not trying to change the subject," Reno replied. "I just think smitten is a silly word. Anyway, I am _not_ smitten with Yuffie, okay? So stop it. You're starting to sound like Elena."

"Elena noticed it too?"

"There's nothing to notice!"

Rude raised his hands.

"Fine, fine. If that's the way you want it to be. But if you ask me..."

"I didn't!" Reno cut him off, pulling himself to his feet and quickly brushing himself off. "Geez, for a guy who hardly talks you sure can come up with some strange conversations when you want to."

Rude, realizing the futility of arguing, just looked at him but said nothing further.

Reno looked up. Yuffie and Ichiero were already out of sight ahead of them.

"C'mon, let's get going," he said, anxious to drop the subject. "No sense standing around here. Can't wait to get to Rocket Town so we can get some real food. And a drink. I need a drink. All this walking is thirsty work."

He started off. After a moment he glanced back to see Rude following He looked at his friend for a moment, then turned away, looking ahead once more.

"Smitten," he muttered, shaking his head. "Sheesh!"


	18. Chaos Round Two

CHAPTER XVIII

CHAOS ROUND TWO

Cid didn't like the way things were going, he didn't like it at all. Not about his repairs, he had all the parts he needed and was well on his way to having the Slipstream in the air again soon. In fact, he was hoping to have the bird flying again by late tonight or early tomorrow. That really wasn't fast enough to satisfy him but then again, any time at all wouldn't have been fast enough for him for that. Considering the plane was stranded on a deserted island hours from civilization and he had no help, well, except for Cait who hardly counted at all except as a gofor, and no facilities, he should really be happy that it wasn't going to take him even longer.

No, what he really wasn't happy about was what was happening with the rest of Avalanche. Cloud and Aeris vanishing on some mysterious chocobo, Reeve and Tifa taking off on some cockamamie trip to Round Island to look for them with not even enough fuel to get back, Vincent turning into the Chaos beast and going ballistic (not to mention killing Lucrecia) and Shera having to scoot back and forth across the face of practically the entire planet trying to help them all out when she should be here helping him. She might not be the fastest person in the world but at least she was efficient, and though he was loath to admit it, knew what she was doing. The plane probably could have been in the air already if he had had some decent help, and he should have had her ferry some of his maintenance team over here as soon as this had happened but no, he was the Captain and he could handle it. He didn't really consider himself a man with an inflated ego but when it came to aircraft, well, he did have a tendency to be a bit of a know it all.

Not that it wasn't warranted, of course. He was, after all, the best damn pilot on the Planet.

At any rate, he was worried. Nobody seemed to know what they were doing. People were running around willy nilly, with no apparent plan in mind. Cid had fought in the Midgar Wutai war, had been a squadron commander. The title of Captain had been earned, not handed to him, and he knew something about battle tactics, knew that the side with the initiative usually had the advantage, and right now their nebulous enemy definitely had the advantage. In order to fight effectively you had to be one step ahead of your enemy and not behind, and right now, he felt like behind was exactly where they were. Behind the eight ball.

Cloud might be impulsive and not always right in the head, but he had always kept them focused on their objective, whatever it might have been. Somehow he'd always managed to break a problem down to it's simplest terms and figured out what needed to be done. Cid didn't even think he did it consciously, it was just some ingrained instinct. He had a way of pulling them all together. He supposed that was the mark of a true leader.

Hmm, seemed funny to think of ole' Spike as a leader, but there it was. Seemed they could use a bit of his intuition, or whatever it was, right now.

Still, unless Cloud blew in on that chocobo just as mysteriously as he left, that wasn't going to happen. They needed someone else to take the reins, to make the decision, to be the leader.

Cid thought maybe that was his job now. After all, he had commanded men, had even led Avalanche for a little while when Cloud had been in Mideel suffering from mako poisoning. Of course, he couldn't really do that sitting here on this island.

Still, that wasn't going to happen. The Slipstream had to be his priority right now. The needed the ship to get around, and, circumstances being as they were, he was the only one available to repair it. He was worried that things were rudderless right now, but it didn't seem there was much he could do about it. Once he got the Slipstream back in the air, then he could worry about other things.

And that wasn't all he was worried about. He glanced over his shoulder, toward the horizon to the south. The sky over his head was clear, but in that direction it was dark. Black clouds had been building up there all day long, spreading slowly toward him. He had been hoping it would move off in another direction, but that wasn't happening. It was coming straight at him, and he could see occasional flashes of light as lightening lit up the sky in that direction. It was still far off, but it was coming. There was a storm brewing, a big one.

Just his luck.

"Cait, give me a hand with this, would ya?"

The big Mog came lumbering over under the aircraft to where Cid was working.

"Just hold that strut in place for me," Cid requested, pointing. He had been working on the landing gear all morning, one of which had snapped when he had crash landed. The engines had been repaired, and the plane could actually fly, but it couldn't get off the ground without it's wheels, of course. It was one of the last things that needed to be repaired.

Cait did as Cid indicated.

"Have you had any breakfast this morning?" Cait inquired.

"No Cait, I haven't had time," Cid replied. "I'm trying to get this thing repaired before that storm gets here."

"It's not good to go without breakfast you know," Cait told him. "It's the most important meal of the day."

Cid gave him a look but said nothing. There was no point. He had never been all that impressed with Cait. His love of machinery did not extend to robot cats or Mogs, apparently. Sometimes he did marvel at how well the AI that controlled Cait worked. Other times it was blatantly obvious how much that same AI needed to be improved. Reeve had programmed Cait to act as much like a normal human being as possible, including engaging in small talk, just the kind of thing Cid had no interest whatsoever in, especially with a machine. It was bad enough he had to put up with it with humans. He would have been much happier, right now, if Reeve had spent a little less time filling Cait's memory chips up with small talk and more with technical manuals.

Of course, that was just another thing he couldn't do much about, but even so, that didn't mean he had to pay any attention to Cait's drivel.

Instead he concentrated on the task at hand. In order to reconnect the wiring on the landing Cid had to literally climb up on the landing gear itself to get to the belly of the plane. In a shop he would have had equipment to do this, but of course, here everything was jury rigged. It was quite an awkward position, not to mention uncomfortable, which was why had had Cait helping brace things. He'd learned long ago that no matter how simple the actual repair, nothing was ever easy.

Even so it was difficult to work with the wiring. He needed two hands to make the connections, yet he needed one hand to hold on so he wouldn't fall. Since he didn't have three hands, he had to wrap his arm around one of the metal struts supporting the landing gear whenever he had to make a connection, which resulted, at times, in some major contortions on his part.

During one particularly arduous contortion the wiring crimper slipped out of his hand. The natural reaction was to lunge for it to try to prevent it from falling to the ground, which would necessitate a trip back down himself to pick it up again. Unfortunately, due to the delicate nature of his position, the resultant lunge threw him off balance. His arm that was under a strut holding him in place shifted enough to slip out of position, threatening to leave him following the crimper to the ground whether he wished to or not.

He let go of the wire he had in his other hand, and, arms flailing, managed to grab hold of the strut with his other hand, thus halting his wild flailing and the threat of dropping the few feet to the ground.

That wasn't quite the end of it, however, as his attempts to save himself from falling had unintended consequences. The landing gear had four large bolts that held it in place, only one of which Cid had attached. He had been in a hurry to get things going, and had attached the one just to keep it in place, planning on finishing the job later on after all the other work had been done. The landing gear wasn't holding up the plane at the moment. Since it had broken he had erected a wooden scaffolding to support the aircraft, and had figured the single bolt would be more than adequate to do the job until he was done and the scaffolding was taken down. His added weight, plus it's sudden shift, however, was more than the bolt could handle, and with quite a loud snap it suddenly sheared off and the entire landing gear apparatus tilted suddenly. Cid hadn't expected this sudden movement, and this time he really did fall, landing on his rear end and then pitching backward onto his back, looking up at the landing gear, realizing what had happened, and also realizing that three hundred pounds of landing gear was about to fall, as luck would have it, right on top of him. He cringed backward, but the ground was unyielding beneath him, and there wasn't time to roll out of the way, merely enough to bring his hands up in front of himself to protect his face, not that he thought it would do much good.

Or at least, he hadn't thought he'd have time to get out of the way. Yet after what was probably the longest five seconds of his life he realized that for some reason he hadn't been crushed yet, and that if he was going to be, it should have happened about four seconds ago. Curious as to why this had occurred he lowered his hands, to see Cait standing beside him, holding onto the landing gear and preventing it from falling, looking at him with what seemed like an inquisitive expression on his face.

"Are you all right Cid?"

Slowly Cid got up and brushed himself off.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said after a moment.

He looked up at the landing gear. Then walked over to his tools.

"Could you move that over a bit so I can attach all the bolts?" he questioned.

"Sure."

Cait shifted the landing gear, getting it back into it's proper place, a feat no human could have accomplished by himself.

Cid slowly walked back over to Cait, thinking maybe, just maybe, having a robot as a helper wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

"I can't believe how annoying she is."

Reno lifted his drink off the counter and swirled it a bit in his hand, looking at the ice inside, then took a sip.

"She's what, nineteen years old now and she still acts like a ten year old."

Rude sat beside him, a drink carefully cradled in his hands as well. They both sat at the bar in the Inn at Rocket Town. They had arrived just before dusk. Yuffie had gone off to get something to eat, claiming to be on the verge of starvation, and had pointedly only asked Ichiero to accompany her. From where they were sitting, Reno could see both Yuffie and her companion through the door, seated in the dining room of the Inn.

"When is she going to grow up? You know, when she was younger her antics were kind of cute, but it's starting to get old now, don't you think?"

Rude made no reply, just as he hadn't replied to any of Reno's musing since they had arrived here.

"And don't think I'm saying that because I'm interested in her because I'm not," Reno went on. "There is no smitten here, okay? In fact, I'll be happy when this is all over and I don't have to listen to her incessant whining anymore."

Rude made no comment about the fact that it wasn't Yuffie's incessant whining he was hearing a lot of at the moment.

"I don't even know why we have her along. She's not going to be any help, that's for sure. She certainly didn't do us any good the first time we ran into Vincent. I can see it's going to be up to us to see that she doesn't do anything stupid, just like it always has. We'd be better off without both her and her little samurai friend."

Reno placed his elbows on the counter in front of him and folded his hands, resting his head on them.

"She's worse than Elena. At least Elena could follow orders. With Yuffie, if you want her to do something, the best way to get her to do it is to tell her not to do it."

"We had a feeling we'd find you here."

They turned to see Red, Lai Li and Shera, obviously having just entered, walking over to them.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Reno commented.

Rude stood up and kissed Lai Li.

"What are you guys doing here?" he questioned. "Make any progress?"

"Well, we hope so," Lai Li replied. "We altered the formula to Lucrecia's drug enough so that the Chadara cells should be suseptible to it again. If we give him a large dose, we believe it could kill off all the Chadara cells at once and turn Vincent back into Vincent again."

"And if it doesn't?" Rude asked.

"It could kill him," Lai Li replied. "It's very risky, but it seems to be the only chance we have."

"Where's Elena?" Reno questioned.

"She went back to Junon," Shera spoke up.

"Back to Junon? Why? I thought she was worried about her precious Vincent."

Shera shrugged.

"She's mixed up," she replied. "Give her some time."

"She might not have any time," Reno replied. "You just said this could kill Vincent. I thought she'd at least want to see him again."

"I don't know what to tell you," Shera said. "She's not really thinking straight."

"When did she ever?" Reno muttered.

"Okay, so you have this drug with you?" Rude asked.

"Yeah, we have it prepared," Red stated. "All we have to do is find Vincent and inject it into him, neither of which might be easy."

"Well, with the Bronco here we'll have a much better chance of finding him, and chasing him if he decides to take off again," Reno said.

"Indeed," Red agreed.

"Where's Yuffie?" Shera asked.

"In there," Reno said, pointing to the dining room. "Having diner with samurai boy."

Shera really didn't have a reply to that.

"All right, I better get going then," she said instead. "I have to pick up Sydney at my sisters. You have the Bronco. Try to keep it in one piece or Cid will never forgive you"

"Gee, you make it sound like we're incapable of taking care of it," Reno told her.

She gave him a look.

"Let's just say I've seen you guys in action before. It's getting kind of late. If you decide to start your search tomorrow and need a place to stay tonight, you're welcome to come over."

"Thanks," Lai Li said.

Rude sat back down with Lai Li next to him while Shera departed. Red looked at the others. They didn't seem in any hurry to go anywhere.

"Shouldn't we begin our search now?"

"Relax Red, we just got here," Reno replied. "I need a few drinks to get my motivation back. We had a tough day and need to recuperate before zooming off again. Besides, Vincent's not going to get away. He's out in the wilderness somewhere and he's not going to do any harm there. This is the nearest town and if he comes here, well, then we won't have to search for him at all, now will we? I think we should take Shera's advice and make a fresh start in the morning."

Red wasn't all that happy with that idea, but he had to admit it had some merit, and from looking at the others, it seemed they were inclined to agree with Reno.

"Very well," Red said. "If we don't hear anything we'll stay here tonight and start out early in the morning."

"But not too early," Reno commented.

Red didn't reply.

It wasn't much longer before Yuffie and Ichiero were done with their dinner and came out into the lounge to join the others. After that they all walked back to Cid's house to take Shera up on her invitation to have them stay with her. She and Cid had only one guest room, which wasn't nearly enough, of course, so she just got out some extra blankets and they all ended up sacking out wherever they could find room.

Yuffie usually didn't have any problem sleeping, but that night, for some reason, she was restless. The fact she was sleeping on the floor and not in a comfortable bed probably had something to do with it, thought that couldn't be the only reason, for she had sleep on floors before, and even stranger places. She was hot, and the room seemed stuffy and the air stagnant. She tossed and turned for some time, long after the others had fallen silent, but she couldn't seem to get comfortable. Eventually she got up, deciding lying there thinking about sleep was just making things worse. She walked over to the front door, stepping lightly and silently over the bodies of Rude and Red, figuring a little fresh air would make her feel a bit better, if not help her sleep.

It wasn't cold out. It was a warm summer night and the slight breeze actually felt good,. She stepped outside, then stopped suddenly when she saw a dark figure sitting on the stoop in front of her. She relaxed some, though not completely, when she realized it was only Reno.

"Oh, it's you," she said, making no attempt to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Reno turned to look at her, the orange spark of light from his cigarette bobbing in the air.

"Hey pest. Whatsmatter, couldn't sleep?"

She didn't reply for a moment, just stood there looking at him, not sure whether to stay or retreat back inside. Eventually deciding it would be pointless to go back to her tossing and turning, she came over and sat down on the stoop beside him.

"Not really," she replied. "Thought I'd come out here and get a little fresh air. I didn't expect to find you out here polluting it."

"There's plenty of fresh air over there," Reno replied, waving his hand off in a random direction.

Yuffie made a face but did not deign to reply to that. Instead she just stared off into the night.

Reno inhaled deeply from his cigarette. Neither one spoke for some time, then the Turk turned to look at her.

"So how was our dinner with your little friend?"

Yuffie took some time to consider that.

"Fine," she said eventually. "And he's not little."

"Well, not compared to you, no," Reno answered. "I thought you were tyring to get rid of him, yet you seem to be buddies all of a sudden."

Yuffie gave him a look.

"Jealous?"

"Hardly."

"I don't know," she continued. "Considering the choices, he seemed like the best company available."

"Hey, I can be a lot better company than him," Reno stated. "That is, if I wanted to."

"Yeah right."

"It's true," Reno went on. "Okay, so he's got a nice shiny sword. Big deal. Any jerk can carry one of those. I mean, look at Cloud, right? What I lack in swordsmanship I more than make up for in charm."

"Reno, you are so full of it."

"It's true!"

"Right. Let me ask you something. Are there other people in that little fantasy world you're in or are you all by yourself?"

Reno glared at her for a moment before deciding the question was not worth answering.

"So what, does that mean you're going to marry the little twerp after all?"

Yuffie looked at him carefully, trying to figure out just why he seemed so interested.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "Would it bother you if I did?"

"Of course it wouldn't bother me," Reno retorted immediately. "Why would it bother me? Do whatever you want, I don't care."

Yuffie just sat there for a moment, then leaned closer to him.

"Are you suuuure it doesn't bother you?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"I don't know," she said, slowly shaking her head. "If you don't care, why do you keep asking me about it?"

"I'm not asking you about it!"

"Yes you are! You just did!"

"I'm not asking you about it _frequently_. I'm just curiousl. Can't a guy be curious?"

"Yeah, sure, but I think it's more than that."

"It is not! You think I'm interested in you or something? You're nothing but a big pest. Its not like you're even attractive or anything."

"_What_?"

"You heard me."

"You are so full of it."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one."

"You've kissed me. More than once!" Yuffie pointed out.

"So?"

"So you wouldn't kiss me if you didn't think I was attractive. You're just saying that because you're a jerk."

"I am not."

"So then why did you kiss me?"

"No reason."

"No reason at all? That's pretty stupid."

"Fine, then, then, just to annoy you."

"Oh yeah right, like I believe that."

"I don't care if you believe it or not, it's the truth."

"It is not."

"Is too!"

"Some of us are trying to _sleep_!"

They fell silent as the sound of Rude's disembodied voice through the window faded away.

"You really do think I'm attractive, don't you?" Yuffie eventually commented, keeping her voice down.

"No."

"_Fine_. I don't think you are either. And don't even think about trying to ever kiss me again."

He turned to face her.

"Oh really, and what exactly would you do if I tried."

"I'd kick your ass."

"Ha, I'd like to see that."

"You know I can."

"You can not. You couldn't kick your way out of a paper bag."

"I can too. I'll prove it to you."

"Prove it to me how?"

"Just try it."

"Just try what?"

"Try to kiss me."

"You want me to kiss you?"

"No."

"Good."

And then he kissed her.

It didn't last long. For a moment she seemed to be enjoying it, but only for a moment. After that she pulled back and the slap that struck him across the face was so hard it knocked him to the ground and left his ears ringing.

"Ouch."

Reno rubbed his cheek, looking not the least bit offended.

"Damn woman, you sure can pack a punch."

"I told you I could kick your ass," she said.

"Maybe," he replied. "What's with you anyway? I didn't get that kind of treatment last time I kissed you."

"You mean back in Wutai when you threw me in the water?"

"I didn't throw you in the water," he retorted. "I slipped. And I wouldn't have if you hadn't paranoided me out about Godo being after my head."

"What, so it was my fault?" she questioned.

"Of course. Surely you don't think I..."

He stopped. Yuffie heard it too. Off in the distance someone was shouting, thought they couldn't make out what he was saying.

"What the hell is that?" Reno muttered.

Before Yuffie could respond they heard another sound.

A scream. It came their left, toward the southern end of town.

Reno paused for a moment.

"Get the others."

Not bothering to wait for a response he ran down the street, the sudden certainty of what, or rather who, he would find welling up inside him. Sound traveled far at night, father than he had thought. The scream hadn't sounded all that far away, just down the block, as a matter of fact, but when he reached the corner he saw nothing. The shouts and screams were louder, however, but still a ways ahead. He had to traverse several blocks, to the very outskirts of town, until he came upon the source of all the shouting. As it were, his instincts were correct, for he saw the hulking figure of Vincent, or rather, the Chaos beast, outlined against the glow of a house on fire behind him. People were streaming past him, running and shouting, but Reno paid them no mind, fighting his way through them while slipping his nightstick into his hand.

He glanced behind him, looking for the others, but there was no sign of them. It would probably take Yuffie a few minutes to shake the sleep out of them. Until then he was on his own.

Great. He had no illusions about his ability to take on the Chaos beast by himself. The best he could hope for was to slow it down a bit. He needed help, and he needed it fast.

Until then, however, he would have to make do.

Vincent had been ambling down the street, tearing up anything that happened to catch his eye. Now he stopped to rip apart a streetlamp whose light, for whatever reason, apparently greatly offended him.

Seeing an opportunity to strike at a stationary target, Reno brought up his nightstick and pressed the activation button for a force pyramid. Hell, it might not hold Chaos for very long, but hopefully a small delay was all he needed.

Reno wasn't sure how smart the Chaos beast was. He didn't know if Vincent still had any say in what the beast did. He knew the creature had some rudimentary intelligence. After all, it didn't usually attack Vincent's friends. Reno didn't think it was as fully intelligent as a man (otherwise, why go around tearing up lampposts?) but perhaps it was smarter than it looked. As soon as the yellowish glow of the pyramid began to form around it, it let out a huge roar and lunged to the side, tearing apart the field before it even had a chance to form. It might not be as smart as a man but it had obviously learned something from their last encounter.

In fact, not only was it intelligent enough to realize the danger, but it was also smart enough to divine the source of the attack, for suddenly it reared up and stared straight at Reno.

Suddenly Reno felt very puny. This was not good. This was not good at _all_.

With a ferocious roar the Chaos beast charged right at him. With a flick of a button Reno switched his weapon to electric discharge and fired a blast straight at the creature hurtling at him. The beast roared again and pulled back and Reno turned and ran.

He knew he couldn't outdistance the beast. He had seen the Chaos beast in action more than once, and knew it was unbelievably fast. No, he was just trying to put some distance between the two of them, to give himself a little breathing room and a chance to take another shot at it without being trampled.

And so it was that after just a short distance he spun around again, raising his nightstick to fire a second shot, and nearly got disemboweled as the Chao's beast claws racked the air just in front of him.

"Shit!" he muttered, lunging to the side, firing his weapon at almost the same time. Could it be that the Chaos beast had somehow gotten even faster than it had been?

Again his shot struck home, but this time the beast hardly paused at all, just shook his head for a moment, as if to say, is that the best you have?

Unfortunately, it was.

Beginning to feel a bit desperate, Reno looked around for someplace to hide. Choices were sparse. The door to a nearby house stood only a few meters away, but it was closed, and Reno had a feeling that in the time it took for him to open it, he would be hamburger. A couple of barrels to the right of him, standing by the side of the building. Nuh uh. The Chaos beast would tear through them as if they were made of tissue. A large oak tree to his right, in the center of the yard. Could the Chaos beast climb?

Even if it couldn't he knew it could fly. Besides, it would take him longer to climb the tree than open that door he had already dismissed.

Not having any other option, he ran over to the tree and put it between them.

The Chaos beast lunged at him, but he dodged to the side, putting the tree between them again. Fortunately it was an old tree, large and sturdy, and not even the Chaos beast had the strength to go straight through it. Still, Reno kept looking around, hoping most of all to see Yuffie and the others appear out of the darkness. He knew he couldn't keep up this game of cat and mouse for long.

Indeed, the Chaos beast lunged around the tree again, and Reno sprang to the side, just barely in time. He had felt the wind from it's claws on that one. The thing was amazingly fast.

They circled the tree, and in less dire circumstances Reno would have thought it funny, the beast chasing him around the tree like some sort of twisted kids game of tag. Unfortunately getting tagged by Vincent's claws was a consequence a bit more serious for him than any kids game.

He risked a glance behind him and saw that door beckoning to him again. The door, of course, would not stop Vincent, but once inside he might be able to find a place to hide, or give Vincent the slip, or at least put more distance between them than the entirely inadequate few feet that now separated them. He wasn't any closer to the door than he had been, but the bulk of the tree stood between him and his tormenter, and that would slow Vincent down for a few seconds at least. Plus, he might be able to put a hitch in Vincent's step himself.

He stepped to the left, momentarily giving the Chaos beast a clear path to him, then fired his nightstick yet again.

Without even waiting to observe the result, he turned and tore ass for the door.

He didn't look back. He didn't have time and it wouldn't do any good anyway. It would probably just make him hesitate or trip and fall. If the Chaos beast was going to get him before he opened the door, there wasn't any sense in watching it happen. He was either going to make it or he wasn't, and looking back wasn't going to make him move any faster.

As he reached the door he heard a roar, a deafening roar. It sounded like it came from right behind him. As he flung open the door he felt his back muscles tighten, expecting to feel the sharp claws tearing into them.

At the same time as the roar, however, he noticed something else, a bright green light from behind him as well.

The door was open now, and he wasn't dead. He had heard the beasts feet pounding on the ground behind him, nearly making it shake with each step, but now it had stopped. The beast had halted. The roar that had emanated from it had been a roar of pain.

He spun around. The green glow had been unmistakable. He had used materia often enough to recognize the light of one.

Yuffie stood a short distance away, one hand holding her sherukin, the other clasped around what was obviously a materia orb. Obvious, because even as he looked, it glowed again and a streak of lightning shot down on top of the Chaos beast.

Another roar followed. Reno ran to the side, for the moment out of harms way. He could see the others in the darkness too, converging on the Chaos beast from different directions, which seemed to confuse it, at least for the moment.

"You have the drug?" Reno shouted.

"Lai Li has it," he heard Red call out.

Reno ran over to Lai Li, who was standing next to Rude, behind the others. Red and Ichiero, in the meantime, rushed forward. Red leaped at the Chaos beast. He wasn't nearly as big as his adversary, but he was a lot bigger than a human, and his size gave him at least a chance to stand and face the Chaos beast on equal footing for at least a little while. Ichiero rushed in as well, his sword flashing. Reno had to admit the kid had guts. He slashed his sword against the Chaos beast's leg, drawing blood but even so it was just a scratch. He payed a high price as Vincent lashed out, claws raking across the young samurai, whose armor protected him from serious injury, fortunately, yet the blow still sent him sprawling backwards.

"What do we have to do with it?" Reno asked, looking down at the syringe in Lai Li's hand. A stupid question really, but he didn't stop to think about that.

"We have to inject it in him," she replied. "His hide is thick, and it might not penetrate just anywhere. Red thinks his neck would be the best spot to try."

"So someone has to get close enough to stick this needle in his neck?" Reno rephrased.

Lai Li nodded.

Yuffie came running up beside them.

"What are you waiting for?" she exclaimed. "Red and Ichiero aren't going to be able to hold him off for long!"

Lai Li just looked at them, then over at the Chaos beast. They didn't think she was going to attempt this, did they?

"I'll do it," Rude spoke up.

"No, I will," Reno said.

They stood there looking at one another. Neither one of them made a move to take the syringe.

Yuffie stood beside them, and she could tell by the expression on their faces that neither one of them were anxious to do this. In a moment that she could only explain later as temporary insanity, she found herself opening her own mouth.

"I'll do it!"

She grabbed hold of the syringe before either of the others could reply.

"Yuffie, give that back," Reno protested.

Yuffie did no such thing.

"I'll do it," she repeated. "I'm a ninja remember? I'm faster then either of you. Beside, like you said last time, he knows me."

"That didn't seem to help any last time," Reno pointed out.

"Yeah, well, maybe he's..."

She stopped as Red fell from the sky in a heap just a few feet from them.

She turned to look at the Chaos beast as Red painfully pulled himself to his feet. The creature roared, so loud it almost made their ears hurt, and swatted at Ichiero, who was still pestering it. Suddenly it grabbed hold of a cart that was sitting by the side of a house, lifting it up as if it were a toy and tossing it in Ichiero's direction. The cart splintered on the ground, smashing into dozens of pieces as the samurai dove out of the way.

Yuffie paled.

Reno came up beside her, but when he went to reach for the syringe she pulled it away.

"I'll do it," she said yet again, though this time with much less resolve in her voice. She turned to look at Reno.

"You'll, you'll protect me, right?"

Reno just stared at her for a moment. Where had that come from?

"Yeah, whatever you say. Just lets get this done!"

They spread out, surrounding the Chaos beast, making it more difficult for the beast to judge where the next attack would come from, slipping in when given a chance then quickly retreating before the Chaos beast could strike back, like a pack of wild dogs taking on a much larger animal. Yuffie moved in as close as she dared, trying not to draw attention to herself, waiting for just the right moment. She would probably only get one chance at this and she had to time it just right. Frankly she wasn't sure if she was up to it. She wasn't anxious to try but she knew she couldn't wait too long. At any moment the Chaos beast could decide it had had enough of this and take to the air.

All around the Chaos beast the others feinted in and out, trying to distract the beast and at the same time maneuver it closer to Yuffie. A couple of times she almost lunged forward but at the last moment stopped herself, each time not sure if she was doing it because the timing wasn't right or she was just scared to death to try, or both. With each hesitation the situation seemed to get more desperate. They were all depending on her. She had told them she would do it. It was too late to back out now. She had to bite the bullet and get it over with.

She had been inching slowly closer to Vincent. Red sprang in and slashed at the beasts leg, then leaped back again, out of the way as the Chaos beasts claws slashed through the air where the red beast had been a moment before. The movement brought the Chaos beast closer to Yuffie, and with it's body extended, it's neck was exposed to her and unprotected.

Without giving herself a chance to think about it, she lunged forward.

She wasn't sure how it happened. She had been certain she would hit her mark, certain that the Chaos beast could not react in time to stop her.

She was wrong.

Moving almost preternaturally it's arm shot up, catching her own arm just below the elbow and knocking it away. The syringe flew out of her hand, eluding her desperate grab for it. The blow had knocked her off balance as well, and she found herself falling backwards.

She blinked, sitting up, still not believing what had happened, then looked up to see the Chaos beast looming over her.

She opened her mouth, but that was the only reaction she had time for before the claws raked down at her.

Reno had been a little to Yuffie's left. He had used the nightstick to try to distract the beast, but hadn't had much more luck than any of the others. He had been watching Yuffie carefully and had seen her tense her muscles right before her lunge. As soon as he saw that, he ran forward. He had seen her arm shoot out, and the Chaos beast intercept it, knocking it away and Yuffie to the ground, had seen it spin around, lifting it's razor sharp claws to tear into her. By that time he was only a step away. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that he had been pressing madly on the activation button of his nightstick but nothing was happening. He had obviously used up all of it's charge. Not knowing what else to do, he threw himself down on top of Yuffie just as the Chaos beasts claws came swooping down.

Yuffie felt something slam into her, realizing a split second after it happened that it was a body. A moment later she heard the sickening sound of tearing flesh, and the body gave a sort of guggling cry, half between a scream and a moan, and she recognized the voice as that of Reno, though it was a sound she had never heard come from his lips before, nor ever thought to. Then she heard shouts and the roar of the Chaos beast. She couldn't see what was going on, for Reno was still on top of her. She managed to push him off. His body was limp, which scared her, and her arm, the one that she had used to push him off her, was wet, covered with a dark fluid that could only be one thing.

"Reno! You idiot! What did you do that for?"

He didn't answer. He just lay there. His shirt was shredded, and his back was covered with what was obviously blood, the same blood that covered her arm, though it looked black in the darkness.

She grabbed hold of him, bending down, looking for some sign of life. She couldn't tell if he was breathing. She went to feel for a pulse, but then realized she had no idea where to find one. She bent her head, placing it on his chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat.

She wasn't paying attention to the battle anymore. Fortunately for her, it had moved away from her. The others had redoubled their attacks when they saw Reno and Yuffie go down. The Chaos beast had lashed out at them, mostly in vain, as they continued to harass it, trying and succeeding to get it to move away from their fallen comrades. Finally deciding it had had enough for one night, it suddenly opened it's wings and lifted into the air.

Red looked up at it until he was sure it was retreating, then turned to where Yuffie and Reno were. It was dark and he couldn't tell exactly what had happened to them, whether either one or both had been hurt. He saw Yuffie at least on her knees.

"Are you all right?" he called out.

"Yes, but Reno's been hurt," she exclaimed, and they could all here the panic seeping into her voice. "He's been hurt _bad_!"


	19. Aeris Creates Some Chaos of her Own

CHAPTER XIX

AERIS CREATES SOME CHAOS OF HER OWN

Given the fact that Aeris was a prisoner of some rogue Cetra, or what she thought of as rogue Cetra, and, though she didn't think they were anxious to kill her, the threat of it was still there if things went sour for them, you would think things would be pretty exciting in a not so nice kind of way for her. Though it was true she did feel some excitement and trepidation, those were, however, not the most significant emotions she was feeling right now. No, what she was actually feeling most strongly at the moment was extreme boredom.

There wasn't much to do when you were a prisoner. The door was locked. She couldn't leave her room and options inside of it were few and far between. The room contained a cot for her to sleep on, a small dresser to store her few possessions and a couple of pegs along the wall to hang things and that was about it. There were no windows. The glow of the walls around her was the only illumination. She didn't even have a book to read.

That didn't leave her many options when it came to keeping herself occupied.

A knock on the door interrupted her musing.

"Come in."

A woman entered carrying a tray of food. She walked over to the table and placed the tray on it, then straightened, looking at Aeris.

"How are you?"

Aeris didn't reply for a moment. She had seen the woman before. She was one of the people who had been in the airship when it had landed, when they had picked her up.

"I'm all right," Aeris replied slowly. "A bit bored."

The woman nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that would be true cooped up in this small room. I'm sorry. I can bring you some books if you like."

Even though this was the first time they had spoken it was obvious this woman's attitude toward her was much different from Grem's. She didn't like Grem, didn't like him at all and she was certain the feeling was mutual. Grem had been the only one who had been in to see her since her little talk with Yonsin and she had assumed it would be him this time as well, although he never knocked so she had known it would be someone else. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Even though Aeris seemed not to pose much of a threat Grem had acted wary, watching her like a hawk every time he had been with here, nor had he spent any more time in her room than was needed to do whatever he had come for.

"I'd like that," Aeris said. She walked over to the table, looking down at the food. Well, at her drink to be precise. She had noticed when they brought her food that a mug of clear water was usually included and was happy to see that this time was no exception. The mug and plates seemed to be made out of some kind of stoneware. It had the same feel as the walls around them, but the dinnerware did not glow so she wasn't sure if it was exactly the same. No one knew the secret of that glow, whether the rock was mined naturally that way or the Cetra somehow infused it with the illuminating light later on. At least, she had never met anyone who knew. Perhaps the Cetra here knew the secret. Someday maybe she'd find the time to ask, but not now. Now she had other things on her mind. The mug was quite heavy, was the only item she had contact with here that had any heft to it. Except for the pieces of furniture and her few possessions there was nothing else in the room, nothing she could use as a weapon.

Of course that wouldn't do her much good if she didn't get the opportunity to use it. Grem, coming in and out, watching her every second, hadn't given her the chance. Perhaps this woman would, if she could get her to linger. Perhaps now might indeed be a good time to ask about the glow.

Before she could bring it up, however, the woman spoke again.

"My name is Dalliana. I'm sorry we have to keep you in here like this. If there's anything I can do for you, besides the books, I mean, just let me know."

"You could let me go," Aeris suggested.

Dalliana gave her a rueful smile.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

Aeris knotted her hands together.

"What you are doing is wrong. You know that," she said.

Dalliana looked troubled. For a moment she didn't seem to know what to say.

"We don't all agree with what Yonsin is doing," she said. "In fact, some of us argued vehemently against it, but we were overruled. We took a vote and this is what was decided at the council meeting."

"And that's the final say?" Aeris questioned. "Right or wrong doesn't matter?"

"Of course it does," Dalliana replied, clearly uncomfortable. "It's not as simple as that, however. We have a right to exist. We have a right to continue as a species. It was argued that that right takes precedence over the rights of the humans."

"Well I don't agree with that," Aeris proclaimed.

"I don't really agree with it completely myself," Dalliana stated. "And some of the others agreed, but we were outvoted."

"And you have no recourse?" Aeris asked.

"No," Dalliana replied. "Once the council has decided, there's really nothing else that can be done."

"You can try to stop them," Aeris suggested.

"I can't go against the council!" Dalliana replied. "I have to go along with the majority. I can't let my personal feelings interfere. If everyone did that, nothing would get done. There would be chaos!"

Aeris looked down at her food for a moment.

"Maybe a little chaos is what's needed around here," she said slowly.

Dalliana didn't reply.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," Aeris said. This wasn't really something she should be discussing right now. She didn't want to chase Dalliana away. This might be the only chance she got. "I'm sure there's nothing you can do. I'd like to know a little bit more about you all, and as you must have noticed, there really isn't all that much to do cooped up in this room. Can you at least stay and talk for a bit?"

"Certainly," Dalliana said, immediately brightening. "To tell you the truth, we've been curious about you as well."

"How many of you are there?" Aeris asked, sitting down at the table and offering Dalliana a seat as well.

"There are only eleven of us left," Dalliana said, taking her up on her offer. "That's if you include Marlek who we haven't heard from in quite some time."

"Marlek?" Aeris prompted.

Dalliana hesitated, and once again the troubled look appeared on her face.

"He was the most vocal against what we were doing," she said eventually. "No one has heard from him in weeks."

Aeris said nothing, just raised an eyebrow at this.

"Well, it's not unusual for people to leave the island for an extended period of time. We often go off for weeks or months doing research on various things."

"Is that what he did, went off to do research?" Aeris asked.

"I don't know," Dalliana replied. "That's what Yonsin told us."

"But you're suspicious?" Aeris prodded.

"Well, yes, a bit," Dalliana answered after a moment. "You have to admit it seems a strange coincidence that the man who most vehemently argued against what we're doing should disappear like that."

"You suspect foul play?" Aeris continued.

"I... I don't know," Dalliana replied. "There are so few of us left. Every Cetra life is precious. To not harm one another is one of of our most important tenets. I don't think Yonsin would ever hurt another Cetra..."

Aeris looked at her for a moment. It was obvious from the expression on Dalliana's face she had more to say than that.

"But?" Aeris cajoled.

Dalliana looked around for a moment, as if worried someone might be within earshot, even though they were in the room alone and the door was closed.

"But I wouldn't put it past Grem," she said softly. "I don't trust him. I don't trust him at all."

Aeris couldn't blame her. She had a feeling that if it was up to Grem, she'd be dead already.

"How did Grem end up having such a say in things?" she asked.

"He and Yonsin have been friends since childhood," Dalliana replied. "They've always stuck up for one another. Don't really know what they see in each other, they're both so different but there it is. Grem is Yonsin's biggest supporter. Grem might not have much of a personality but Yonsin does. He can be quite charismatic when he has to be, and I have to admit he gives a good argument. They convinced most of the others to go along with them, in spite of our misgivings."

Aeris nodded, nibbling on her food. She wasn't really very hungry. She was too nervous.

"I see," she said.

They talked for quite some time. Dalliana asked a lot of questions about what it was like living among the humans. Although most of the Ceta had gone out among them at various times in their lives, Dalliana had only had incidental contact with them, and didn't really know much about them. She also told Aeris about the other Cetra and what is was like living among them, things Aeris had always wanted to know and had never had the opportunity to find out. Ellengio was the only other Cetra she had known but she had never really had a chance to sit down with him and have a heart to heart talk. All in all it was quite pleasant, which made Aeris just feel more guilty concerning what she was about to attempt. She would have liked to have learned a lot more, but, unfortunately, she didn't have time.

Having finished all she was going to eat she stood up, picking up the plate but fumbling it suddenly and dropping it onto the floor.

"Jeez, I am so clumsy," she apologized, bending down. "I slipped the other day and now this. I guess I'm just nervous."

As she had hoped, Dalliana came over to her and stooped down as well to give her a hand picking up the remains of her meal.

"That's all right," the woman said pleasantly. "It's no problem at all. We'll get this all cleaned up in no time."

As she spoke Aeris half rose and took the mug from the table. She hesitated a moment, looking at the woman in front of her who hadn't noticed her movement. Dalliana had been kind to her, and she thought that under different circumstances they could have become friends. The woman hadn't hurt her, had been sympathetic in fact. She might need a friend like that.

She wished it was Grem's head that hovered in front of her now. She wouldn't have any qualms about cracking the mug against his skull. Still, she had no choice. She may not get a chance like this again. She didn't think Dalliana was going to convince anyone to let her go, or to stop their little project. What they were doing was wrong and had to be stopped at all costs. If it was up to Aeris to provide a little chaos, then that's what she would have to do.

With that, she brought the mug down on the other woman's head.

Dalliana made a little grunting sound, swayed for just a moment, then collapsed to the floor, fortunately without looking up. Aeris hadn't wanted to see the look in her eyes. She felt bad enough for doing this as it was.

Dropping the mug Aeris pulled herself to her feet. She hurried over to the dresser, getting down on her knees to grab the materia orb she had hidden on the floor underneath it. She stood up again. Walking quickly over to the door she opened it a crack. Looking out she could see no one in the corridor beyond.

Clutching the materia in her hand she ran out into the hallway. She had a feeling Grem wouldn't be far away but as she ran down the corridor and into the next room the place seemed deserted.

He spotted her as soon as she exited the building. There was just no place to hide. The building had no windows and she didn't have time to hunt around for another exit. She didn't know who long Dalliana would be out and even though the woman was sympathetic, Aeris was pretty certain she'd raise the alarm once she regained consciousness. Perhaps she could even have been able to give them the slip and find a way out of the city without being recaptured, but what would happen then? That would do nothing to thwart their plan. She didn't know if she could find Cloud again. She didn't know if he was even alive. She couldn't get off the island, she couldn't alert her friends. She would be trapped and it would only be a matter of time before they found her again.

No, she had to do something to stop them now, while she had the chance. They would be assuming she was trying to get away, trying to escape. She could use that to her advantage.

Grem was standing at the entrance to the next building down the street, talking with another Cetra. Aeris didn't try to hide. Her plan depended on speed and surprise, not stealth. She came through the door at a run, the materia clutched tightly in her hand. From what he had done when she had first been captured she knew Grem could take her down if he got close enough. She wasn't going to let that happen.

His eyes turned toward her as soon as she came out the door. For a moment he didn't react. In spite of his wariness he still hadn't expected this. Fortunately her destination was in the other direction. She ran down the street, trying to put as much distance between them as she could.

It didn't take long for Grem to recover. He was after her a moment later. She didn't have any illusions about being able to outrun him. She had put some distance between them, enough for her to be out of range of his psychic attack, (or so she hoped) but it wouldn't last long. Already he was beginning to catch up.

Fortunately her destination wasn't that far away. The mako reactor building was just down the road from her prison. She made a beeline for it. She heard shouting behind her but she ignored it. She didn't see anyone in front of her, but she didn't know if anyone was in the reactor building, or if they would try to stop her. She clutched the materia more tightly in her hand. If they did try to stop her, she wouldn't take it lying down.

She reached the door to the building, flinging it open and rushing inside. She saw the face of a surprised Cetra, someone she had never seen before, but then she was past him, running down the corridor as fast as she could. She didn't know how much time she had but she knew she didn't have much, perhaps only seconds. Grem wasn't that far behind her and would rapidly catch up.

She reached the room where the reactor was, the same room she had been in when Yonsin had showed her around. She stopped there, panting, trying to catch her breath. She looked behind her, down the hallway through the still open door, and saw both Grem and the Cetra she had passed when she came in charging down the corridor toward her.

She lifted the materia in front of her and concentrated.

She heard another shout from Grem, but it was too late. A moment later, with a thunderclaplike roar, a streak or lightning tore through the heart of the reactor. Aeris hadn't been sure how powerful this materia was. She hadn't known what kind of damage it would do, she had only hoped it was strong enough to make repair of the reactor difficult, to slow them down as much as possible. She had to admit, from the sparks that were shooting up into the air and the flames that were burning in the equipment, the effect seemed to be exceeding her expectations.

She lowered her arms, then turned to see Grem standing just a few feet away, staring at the reactor and the damage she had done. A moment later he turned to look at her, and the expression of sheer hatred on his face was like nothing she had seen before.

She lifted her materia again, but even as she did her concentration was violently interrupted by his psychic assault. She lifted her hands to her head, falling to her knees as pain rippled though her mind. It was as if Grem had taken a white hot branding iron and shoved it deep into her brain. This was no knock out punch. Not this time. He wasn't holding anything back. This was a full fledged assault meant to do only one thing, to mercilessly kill her. She tried to fight, tried to hold off the assault, but she had no weapons. Her materia slipped uselessly from her hands. With the pain tearing through her head she couldn't concentrate long enough to use it. She collapsed to the ground, no longer even aware of what her body was doing, agony her only reality. She had never felt pain like this before.

She screamed.

* * *

"This reminds me of that climb up through the wreckage of Sector Seven to get to Shinra headquarters. Remember?"

Cloud sat down on a large piece of... well, he wasn't sure what it was. It had a smooth finish but he couldn't tell if it was metal or stone or some kind of plastic. He reached down and gave Tifa a hand, hauling her up beside him through the debris. He could see Reeve and the Cetra Sage below, struggling just as much as he had to get up here.

"Yeah," Tifa said, stopping to catch her breath. "And the funny thing is, we were rescuing Aeris then too."

"Yeah, I guess we were," he agreed.

Tifa stared above them.

"I think we're almost at the top," she commented.

"Good," Cloud replied. "At first I thought this pile of junk would be inadequate to keep monsters out but maybe it is. I certainly wouldn't climb up here without a good reason!"

Tifa nodded without replying but she could see his point. It had been a hard climb. She looked down again as Reeve and Dannin reached them.

"If nothing else, we're getting a good workout," Reeve observed.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, getting to his feet. "Let's just hope we're not too exhausted by all this climbing to fight when we get over the top."

They continued on their way and it turned out Tifa was right, they didn't have much farther to go to reach the top. Only a short but difficult climb got them to the apex, where they found themselves looking down once more on the city, a city that looked pretty much the same except here the streets were clean instead of filled with debris. Cloud motioned for the others to duck down when he saw two people in the street as well, not very close, but not that far off either.

"So what's the plan now?" Reeve questioned.

"I'll try to draw their attention while the rest of you look for Aeris," Cloud said simply.

"How many of them do you think there are?" Reeve asked.

"I have no idea," Cloud said.

"How will we find you again?" Reeve inquired.

"I don't know," Cloud replied.

"Are we going to go back out the way we came in?" Reeve questioned.

"Beats me," Cloud answered.

Reeve looked at him for a moment.

"Well, this seems exceptionally well thought out," Reeve observed.

"In other words, no different from any of my other plans," Cloud replied with a grin.

"Just remember you have the plague," Tifa spoke up. "If you come into contact with any of the Cetra, you could kill them."

"If I come into contact with any of the Cetra, the plague may be the least of their worries," Cloud replied, fingering his sword.

"We're not here to slaughter them, just to get Aeris back," Tifa said.

"You say that after what they've done to Zangan?" Cloud responded. "To the other human children?"

Tifa hesitated a moment.

"I'm just saying be careful and that you shouldn't kill indiscriminately. You don't know how many of them are actually involved in all this. Some of them could be innocent."

"Maybe," Cloud said slowly. "Don't worry, this isn't a vengeance thing. We're here to get Aeris and that's it. I'm not going to slaughter them. I'm not going to turn into Sephiroth, if that's what you're worried about."

Tifa just looked at him for a moment. That hadn't actually occurred to her, but his mentioning it just made her more determined to see nothing like that happened. Still, his words reassured her.

"All right then, I guess you better..."

She was interrupted by the sound of an explosion. All their heads turned. It hadn't sounded too far away, and for a second Cloud thought they might have been discovered somehow, but looking down the street he saw they had not drawn any attention. The two people he had seen were looking off in the other direction, the direction the sound had come from. After a moment they ran off in that direction.

"What the hell was that?" Reeve questioned.

"I don't know," Cloud said slowly, staring off in the distance. At first he saw nothing, but then spotted a billowing cloud of black smoke rising from one of the buildings.

"Looks like a diversion has been conveniently provided for us," he stated. "C'mon!"

* * *

Aeris wasn't quite sure if she ever lost consciousness. It was hard for her to concentrate on anything besides the pain. All she knew was that the agony seemed to last forever, and yet, suddenly, it was gone.

It was gone and, much to her surprise, she was still alive.

She found herself on her side on the ground. She lifted her head, blinking, the echo of the pain still reverberating through her mind, to see Grem and Yonsin standing a few feet away. Yonsin was looking from the reactor to Grem to her with a stunned expression on his face. She must have missed some of the conversation.

"She used a lightning materia on the reactor," Grem was saying. "She deliberately and maliciously sabotaged the project. Now let me finish what I started!"

Yonsin just stood there for a moment. He looked at Aeris.

"It's true? You did this?" he questioned.

Aeris didn't see much point in denying it. She nodded.

"Why?" Yonsin asked. "How?" He still seemed shocked, unable to comprehend what was happening, what she had done.

"She stole a lightning materia from somewhere," Grem spate out. "She didn't even try to get away, just came right here to try to destroy the reactor. She's ruined the project. Let me finish her off!"

Yonsin didn't reply, just stared at them, then at the other Cetra who was there, obviously the man who was in charge of the reactor, for he stood nearby in front of a control panel, frantically pressing buttons and pulling switches, but he did take the time to glance over at them every once in a while, especially at Grem's last words. Aeris wasn't sure if he looked that way because of what had happened with the reactor or because of Grem's open intentions of killing a Cetra or both.

"How badly is the reactor damaged?" Yonsin questioned.

The man did not reply for a moment, his hands running quickly over the controls in front of him.

"Its damaged the cooling system and I can't compensate," the man said. "I've been trying to shut it down but that isn't working either. Nothing seems to be working. The core is heating without any checks. It's going to go critical in about fifteen, twenty minutes."

"Critical?" Yonsin repeated.

"Yes, critical!" the man exclaimed. "If I can't shut it down the reactor is going to explode, and if that happens, it'll take the whole island with it!"

They all just stood there for a moment. Aeris had hoped to put the reactor out of business for a few days, a week perhaps. Long enough for the others to find out what was going on here. She had hardly expected this. The whole island was going to be destroyed?

"And there's no way you can stop it?" Yonsin questioned, the urgency evident in his voice.

"I'm trying!" the man replied. His hands flew over the controls some more. "I don't...no, I can't regain control. I can't access the damaged systems. There's no time to work with it. We have to get out of here. Now!"

No one replied. No one moved. Even to Aeris, it seemed hard to believe that her simple attack had caused so much damage.

Grem suddenly spun around and stared at her.

"It's all _her_ fault!" he accused.

Aeris had nothing to say to that. She glanced over at her materia, lying on the floor. She didn't think she could reach it before Grem attacked her again, if that's what he had planned, not that she had any doubt that was indeed his intentions. It appeared the only reason she was still alive at all was because of the timely arrival of Yonsin. After what she had done to his pet project, however, she had a feeling he wasn't going to be very sympathetic to her plight.

Yonsin, for his part, still seemed to be having difficulty taking it all in. He didn't say anything for quite some time, just stared at the reactor as if that could somehow make it not have happened, make it all better, but of course, that wasn't going to happen. Finally he looked at the others.

"We have to leave," he said, softly, calmly, simply. Having finally accepted the situation, he chose the only reasonable route open to them.

"But what about her?" Grem questioned, stabbing a finger at Aeris.

Yonsin turned to look at her. She couldn't really read his expression. He only hesitated a moment.

"Leave her," he pronounced.

"But we can't just leave her here," the other man with them protested. "She'll die. She's a Cetra."

"She's only half Cetra," Grem snapped. "That makes her less than Cetra, less than human."

"She's still Cetra!" the other man insisted. "We don't kill our own!"

"We're not killing her," Yonsin interjected. "We're just leaving her. The laws say not to kill a Cetra, they don't say anything about leaving one to her fate. She's responsible for what happens here. If the reactor blows up it's her fault. It's got nothing to do with us."

The third man didn't seem completely convinced, but he did not protest.

"C'mon, let's go," Yonsin said.

And that was it. They turned and just walked away, though Grem looked back at Aeris with what she thought was a smug expression. It didn't matter to her, she didn't really care what Grem thought. A moment later she was alone. She coughed, and realized the room was starting to fill with smoke. She looked at the controls the man had been working with. She couldn't make heads or tails of them. If he said there was nothing to be done, she certainly wouldn't be able to do anything. Maybe if Cid were here, he'd be able to figure something out.

She calmly turned and walked out of the building. Cid wasn't here, and since he probably wouldn't be able to do anything either, that was probably a good thing. She could see no one out on the street. The place appeared to be deserted. It might indeed be by now, if the Cetra had already taken off in their airship. She looked up, wondering if she would get a glance at it, but all she saw above her head was darkness.

Now that she was out in the street she realized she had little else to do. She didn't know where the other Cetra had gone, didn't know where their airship was located, not that she could get on it anyway. She wouldn't be able to get out that way, and there was no other way. She thought about trying to find Cloud, but she had no idea where he was either.

She felt a pang of regret, thinking about Cloud. He was still trapped here on the island too, and he had no idea what was about to happen. She hadn't meant to make the reactor blow up, had only meant to damage it, to slow them down, not to take out the whole island. She was more than willing to give her own life to stop their project, but she didn't want Cloud to die as well.

Then again, for all she knew, he could already be dead, having succumbed to his ailment after she left him, left him to find help.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, to no one in particular.

"Aeris!"

Her head jerked up. She turned and could hardly believe her eyes when she saw Cloud running toward her, almost as if her thinking about him had somehow magically conjured him up. Conjured up him, and others as well, for she saw he was not alone. Tifa and Reeve were with him, as well as a man she had never seen before.

"Cloud," she said softly. In spite of everything she smiled. At least she would get to see her friends, one last time before the end.. but then again, if Tifa and Reeve were here...

"We have to leave!" she said, suddenly running toward them.

Cloud suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Wait!" he exclaimed.

And she did, just the tone of his voice halting her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I have the Cetra plague," Cloud called out. "That's why I was sick. I won't die from it but I'm a carrier. I can give it to you if you come near me. It could kill you."

Aeris stood there for a moment, her mouth opening slightly, but nothing coming out. So that was it, that was why he was sick, why her healing powers hadn't helped. She didn't have time, however, to think of all the implications right now.

"The mako reactor is going to explode!" Aeris exclaimed, pointing behind her. "It's going to destroy the entire island. We have to get out of here!"

"We have a helicopter!" Tifa spoke up after a moment.

"How much time do we have?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm not sure," Aeris replied. "Not much."

"I've got a feeling we'll never make it back in time," Cloud said slowly.

"Maybe we can," the Cetra sage spoke up. "If the Cetra have fled, we don't have to go back the way we came. The entrance the Cetra use is nearby, and we're not that far from your flying machine going that way. We may have time."

"Well then, let's get out of here!" Cloud agreed.

There was no time to waste. With the Cetra Sage leading them they ran through the city until they reached a winding flight of stairs, very similar to the one in Ifalnia. They quickly ran up them, the Cetra Sage in the lead, followed by Cloud, who made sure he stayed well ahead of Aeris. He knew he had the plague, and he knew she could catch it from him, but little else. He just didn't know enough about it, and he wasn't sure if anyone did. He assumed it was spread by contact, so as long as he didn't touch her she would be okay. Or so he hoped. It might even take prolonged contact for her to actually get it but could he really take that chance? He didn't think so. They just didn't know enough. The only safe thing to do was to stay as far away from her as he could.

The entrance to the cavern was right at the top of the stairs. Down in the caverns there was no way to tell what the weather was like, so they were surprised to hear the howling of the wind and see flashes of light and the crack of thunder as they approached the exit. They stepped out of the cave and into a downpour.

There was nothing they could do. They didn't have time to wait for it to stop. Without hesitating they plunged out into the storm.

They were on the side of the mountain, the peak far above their heads. Cloud looked down and he could see the beach, a dark line of sand, even through the rain. He looked around but all he saw otherwise was jungle. He didn't know where they were, how close they were to the Cetra Sage's cave or the helicopter. He didn't recognize anything, but Dannin led them on unhesitant, running through the trees and over obstacles with the legs of a much younger man.

They made their way downward, angling toward the beach. Lightning flashed, and the sound of thunder rang in their ears. The rain was coming down in buckets, drenching them. Cloud wondered how long this had been going on.

Running along the beach was harder, the sand slowing them down, but, fortunately, they didn't have far to go. Once they reached the helicopter Reeve jumped right in, quickly sitting down in the pilot's seat and starting to power the copter up. Tifa stepped in as well, turning to wait for the others. Cloud was right behind her, but he did not enter, instead stopped and turned to look at Aeris. The helicopter was small, the crew spaced limited. They would be in close proximity.

"Cloud..." Tifa began, then stopped, realizing what he was thinking. She looked at Aeris too.

"We don't have a choice," Tifa continued after a moment. "We have to get off the island. No one can stay here and there's no other way to leave."

"That's not exactly true," the Cetra Sage spoke up.

He turned, looking up the jungle covered slope. Then he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled. It was a shrill piercing whistle, much louder than Cloud would have expected. That's right, Cloud remembered, the Gold Chocobo. He looked up the slope too. The Cetra's Sages cave was far up there, somewhere. Though the whistle was loud, it seemed unlikely the sound would reach that far, especially in a raging storm.

For long moments they stood there, unmoving. The helicopter blades whirled beside them, at full speed now. The helicopter was ready to take off. The island could go up any minute now. They didn't have time to delay.

Then it was there. The gold chocobo emerged from the trees, trotting quickly over to the Cetra Sage.

"I'll go on the Chocobo," Cloud volunteered.

"Cloud..." Tifa began. She said nothing more, even as he turned to look at her. She didn't like the idea of them being separated. She glanced over at the waves, crashing on the shore, the wind whipping them up into a frenzy. It wasn't safe to ride even a gold chocobo through that. It would be dangerous and she _so_ didn't want him to do it but... but what other alternative did they have? Aeris taking the chocobo was the only other choice and it wasn't any better. Instead of putting her husband in danger it would be her best friend.

"I'll go with you," she said.

Cloud shook his head.

"It's too dangerous."

"So, dangerous for me but not for you?" she questioned.

"There's no need to endanger both of us," Cloud said impatiently. As much as she didn't want him to go on the chocobo, he didn't want her to go either, and they didn't have time to argue about it.

"I don't want to leave you," Tifa said.

"I know that," Cloud said slowly. "I don't want to leave you either but there's no sense in risking both of us."

"The helicopters a risk too," Tifa replied. "We don't even have enough fuel to get back."

"Tifa, please," Cloud said.

"The young man is right," the Cetra Sage interjected. "It will be difficult enough for the chocobo with one person on it. Two would be a difficult burden to bear in such weather."

Tifa didn't reply. It made sense. It all made sense, but she was loath to admit it.

Reeve turned to look at them from inside the cockpit.

"Can we get a move on here?" he questioned.

"Tifa..." Cloud began.

"All right," Tifa said, her shoulders slumping. They were right and she knew it. "Just please, be careful."

"I will," Cloud replied, relieved that she wasn't going to give him a hard time about this.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Cloud replied. He stepped forward and kissed her. "Now get the hell out of here!"


	20. Leap of Faith

CHAPTER XX

LEAP OF FAITH

"Can I help you?"

"I'd like to buy a gun."

Elena nodded, looking at the woman standing in front of her. She looked to be at least seventy years old.

"Hubert, that's my husband, told me to get this one," the woman continued, sliding a piece of paper in front of her.

Elena looked down at the paper. It was an advertisement from her store. One of the guns on it had been circled.

"He said it's on sale," the woman added , nodding her head.

Elena pointed to the picture.

"Well, yes it is," she said, "but Ma'am, that's the Valentine Special. It's a fifty caliber pistol. Don't you think you'd be better off with something a little smaller?"

"My husband, Hubert, told me to get _that_ one."

"I realize that, but it... it's really too big for you ma'am. We have some very nice guns here that are much more in line with what you'd be needing."

"Now don't give me no lip, young lady," the woman said, hands firmly on hips. "My husband, Hubert, was in the war. He told me he had a gun just like that and it saved his life he doesn't know how many times. He told me that's the one I should get and he should know! Besides, it's on _sale_."

Elena just stared at the frail woman in front of her. She looked to be about eighty pounds.

"Ma'am, this isn't a gun, it's a cannon. If you fire this you're more likely to kill yourself than anyone else," she tried one more time.

"I _told_ you, my husband..."

"Yes, Hubert, I know," Elena sighed, surrendering. "Very well, I'll box it up for you. That'll be three hundred and twenty three gil."

The woman opened her small purse and gave the gil to Elena, who packaged up the gun and handed it to the woman, not even sure if she could lift it, much less fire it. The woman managed it, then strolled out the door, appearing quite content with herself.

Elena had to shake her head. She just hoped she wasn't anywhere nearby if that woman actually tried to fire that thing. Well, she had done what she could to talk the woman out of it.

The door to the shop opened again, the little bell attached to it ringing. Elena looked up, then frowned as she saw Shera standing in the entranceway.

She stood there as the woman walked over to her.

"Hi Elena," she said slowly.

"Hi Shera. What are you doing here?"

She stopped in front of the counter. She didn't reply for a moment. The look on her face, the way her lips were pinched together, the way her eyes looked so serious, instantly made Elena think something was wrong.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Its... its Reno," Shera said. "He's been hurt."

"Hurt? Badly?"

Shera nodded.

"Badly enough to.. die?"

"We don't know yet," Shera replied. "He's in the hospital in Rocket Town. They're doing all they can for him."

Elena opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She felt her throat going dry.

"It was... Vincent?"

Shera nodded again.

Elena turned away.

"I'm sorry," Shera said.

Elena just looked at the ground, saying nothing. This was just the kind of news she had been dreading, had been hoping to never hear. She felt her shoulders shudder.

"Where are the others?" Elena questioned.

"Rude, Red and Lai Li came with me. They're down at the airport," Shera replied. "Yuffie stayed in Rocket Town. She didn't want to leave Reno."

"Yuffie stayed in Rocket Town?" Elena repeated, looking up. That was a surprise, but it made her feel good in a way, as well. She knew there was something going on between them.

"Yeah," Shera responded, but there really wasn't time for that. "Elena?"

The young blonde just looked at her.

"That's not all," Shera continued.

Elena waited, not sure that she wanted to hear anymore.

Again Shera hesitated, wondering how she had gotten roped into this. She had thought her part in this was done once she had handed the Bronco over to the others. What a surprise it had been when they had showed up at her door with this plan.

"Red and Lai Li have reworked Lucrecia's cure. They think that Vincent needs one massive dose to kill all the chadara cells at once. They think that's the only way to save him. The problem is, Vincent won't let anyone get close enough to administer it. That's how Reno got hurt in the first place."

Elena nervously rubbed her hands together, waiting to see what this had to do with her.

"Yuffie tried the first time but she couldn't get close enough to him. That's how Reno got hurt. We still think there's a little bit of Vincent in there, but he won't let us get close. He won't let anyone get close. We think... we think that only someone he really cares about would have a chance..."

Shera stopped as Elena's mouth slowly opened. By now it was obvious what Shera wanted.

"We think it's the only way to save him," Shera slowly added.

And then they just stood there, looking at each other.

Finally, much to Shera's surprise, Elena shook her head.

"No, no, I'm not going to do that."

"How can you say that?" Shera replied. "You love him, don't you?"

"I loved Vincent! He's not Vincent anymore."

"Yes he is! He is Vincent. I know he's in there somewhere, and so do you! C'mon Elena, you're his only chance!"

Elena just shook her head.

"No, no, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm _afraid_!" Elena exclaimed. "He killed Lucrecia! Lucrecia, the woman he loved, would have done anything for. The woman that tormented him for all those years with his love for her. If he killed her, what chance... what chance would I have?"

Elena fell silent, her voice choking off.

For a moment Shera didn't know what to say. So that was it. She could see it now. Elena was afraid, not afraid of dying, but afraid that Vincent didn't love her, didn't love her more than his old flame.

"Loved," Shera finally said.

"Huh?"

"You said loved. Past tense. Vincent doesn't love Lucrecia anymore, hasn't for a long time, not since you came into his life."

Elena just stood there, shaking her head. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"No, he doesn't love me anymore than he loves her," she said. "He wouldn't listen to me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Shera replied. "Of course he loves you. Just because he didn't listen, you think that means he doesn't love you? Do you know how many times Cid hasn't listened to me? If I used that as a criteria, I'd think he hated me more than anyone in the world!"

Shera offered a crooked smile, but Elena was too upset for her attempt at lightening the mood to have any effect.

Shera sighed. They had had a feeling there was something wrong, had a feeling Elena would be reluctant to do this. The fact that she had left to come back to Junon had left that impression. That's why the others had recruited Shera for this job. None of them were very close to Elena. They didn't think they had much chance to convince her. Shera really didn't know Elena all that well either, but she could understand where they were coming from. She suspected Reno would have been the best choice for this job, followed by Tifa or maybe Aeris, but none of them were available. Rude knew her best out of those left, but the man was seriously lacking in conversational skills.

So it had fallen on her. They had come to drag her away from her daughter once again. Right now, she wasn't sure she was up to the task.

"Vincent went on the rampage through Rocket Town," she continued. "Fortunately no one was killed, and the only one hurt was Reno. It could have been a lot worse though. The people in Rocket Town are up in arms about it. They want him stopped, and they want him stopped now, and if we don't do it they'll take matters into their own hands. They've already formed a group to stop him if he comes in again. They're all armed, and I don't think they'll hesitate to shoot if they see him again, shoot to kill. This could be his only chance, Elena."

Elena felt a hollowness forming in the pit of her stomach. It was all so unfair. She could understand what Vincent was trying to do, but she couldn't get past the fact that he had gone in spite of her pleading with him not to. She couldn't help but feel that it did mean something, that it meant that he didn't trust her, didn't really love her. And yet...

Yet she didn't want him to die. She certainly didn't want that. The very thought of it made it feel like her heart was being torn out. She didn't know if she could live without him, and yet she wanted him to feel the same way. She wanted him to love her as much as she loved him and she just didn't know if that was true.

But she would never find that out if he was killed, now would she?

And there was one other thing that Shera was right about. She had heard Cid and Shera disagree about plenty of things. True, maybe none of them had been as important as the decision Vincent had made, but they were disagreements just the same, and yet their marriage still seemed as strong as it had ever been.

She lowered her head, looking at the ground, feeling her conviction slipping away, and she wasn't sure if that made her happy or sad.

"All right," she gave in. "All right. I'll help."

* * *

Aeris sat down in the co-pilot's seat next to Reeve. She looked out the window but all she could see was rain washing against the windshield. All else was black, except with the occasional burst of lightning, which gave her a view of the whitecaps the wind was blowing on the angry sea below. The whitecaps weren't the only thing being tossed by the wind, the helicopter was suffering the same fate. Every once in a while the aircraft would rise suddenly, lifted by the wind, or worse, drop precipitously. Each time that happened Aeris would grab hold of the seat so tightly her knuckles would turn white. She looked over at Reeve, who was staring at the green glow of the instruments, or occasionally out into the darkness in front of them, his face tense. He was concentrating so hard, she didn't know if she should disturb him.

She looked down at the instruments in front of her, wishing she could help somehow, but she had no idea how to fly a helicopter, nor did Tifa or, she suspected, the Cetra Sage. Reeve was on his own here.

"Is it true?" she finally broke the silence, speaking softly, so only Reeve could hear.

For a moment he didn't reply.

"Is what true?" he asked without looking at her.

"That the helicopter doesn't have enough fuel to reach land?"

Again he was silent, then he nodded.

Aeris clasped her hands in her lap and rubbed them nervously. She glanced behind her. Tifa was in the seat across from her, staring out the window, had been since they had taken off. Aeris knew what she was looking for, some sign of Cloud below them. She glanced out her own window once again. It was impossible to see anything down there.

She got up and made her way over to Tifa, holding on to anything that was available. It wasn't easy to stand with the helicopter being tossed the way it was. She reached Tifa and put a hand on her shoulder. Tifa turned to look at her.

"I'm sure he's okay," Aeris said.

Tifa didn't reply, just nodded her head slowly. It was obvious that Aeris' words weren't much reassurance to her.

They were silent for a moment, then Aeris spoke again.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Tifa questioned.

"I can't help but think this is all my fault," Aeris replied.

Tifa lowered her head for a moment, then she looked up again and forced a smile onto her face, even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. She reached up and patted Aeris hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she said. "It's not your fault some maniac Cetra are trying to wipe out the human race, or that part of their plan was to kidnap you. There's nothing you could have done to stop it. In fact, you tried your best to do just that. I don't blame you for anything, Aeris."

Aeris stood there for a moment, then nodded. It was funny, she had come over here to try to reassure Tifa, and ended up being reassured herself. She wasn't sure if either attempt at reassurance really helped much, however.

"Aeris, while you're up, can you see if there are any life jackets back there somewhere?" Reeve questioned from up from. "And there's probably some kind of emergency kit as well."

"Yes, of course," Aeris replied. She walked farther into the back ,where there were a number of storage compartments, again having a hard time staying on her feet, and searched around for a few minutes.

"I found an emergency kit," she said eventually. "But there seem to be only two life jackets."

For a long time Reeve didn't reply. She looked forward and saw him concentrating on the instruments. She was about to repeat her statement when he spoke again.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid so," she replied.

Again it took him some time to reply.

"Put one on and give the other to Tifa."

Aeris hesitated a moment, looking at the bright orange flotation devices in her hands. For some reason she couldn't get her mind to believe they would actually have to use them. She couldn't imagine them surviving out there in the ocean, with no helicopter to protect them.

After a moment she handed one of the life jackets to Tifa.

Tifa looked at the life jacket, then at the Cetra Sage.

"Maybe it would be better if you wear this," she said, holding it out. "I'm young and in good shape. No offense, but I'm probably a better swimmer than you."

The Cetra Sage held up his hand.

"No, no, my dear. You're young, as you said. You have a family, your whole life ahead of you. I've been on this Planet for a long time now, longer than I should, perhaps. It would be better for us all if you keep it."

Tifa hesitated a moment, then lowered her hand. She lifted the jacket again and fitted it around herself. Aeris put hers on as well, just as reluctantly, looking up at Reeve once again. She was tempted to suggest he use it, but she had a feeling that for once, that would be an argument she could not win.

The wind buffeted the aircraft again, almost knocking Aeris over once more. Reeve looked back at her.

"C'mon and get back in your seat before you get hurt," he said.

Aeris carefully made her way back to the front and sat down heavily. She looked at Reeve once again. If anything he looked even more grim than before. He glanced over at her for a moment.

"We're going to have to ditch soon," he said.

"Is that... is that really necessary," she replied. It seemed silly to get out of the helicopter while it still had any fuel at all. "Can't we just keep going? Until we run out of fuel completely, I mean."

"If we run out of fuel we'll crash," Reeve said. "If we ditch before hand at least we'll have some control over where we end up."

Aeris wasn't sure there was much of a distinction. They were going to end up in the water, regardless.

"You haven't been able to get in touch with anyone?" she asked. She had heard Reeve on the radio a number of times since they had taken off.

Reeve shook his head.

"I thought I heard something earlier, but I wasn't sure, and I never heard it again," he replied. "Something was interfering with communications when we came here. I don't know if the Cetra were doing it or it was some kind of natural phenomena, but we couldn't get through when we got close to Round Island. I think we're far enough out now to be past that, but with the storm, I can't say for sure."

He wasn't even sure if it would help. The Slipstream was damaged. It couldn't fly, or at least, it couldn't when Reeve had last talked to Cid. That had been a couple of days ago so it's possible the Captain might have gotten the ship to fly again by this time. If he didn't, then they had to hope Shera was there with the Tiny Bronco or they'd be dead.

He looked out the window at the blackness below them.

They might already be dead. Even if the Slipstream was airworthy, it wouldn't do a bit of good if they couldn't get in touch with Cid to tell him where they were. He had given their last position when he had thought he might have heard a reply, but he didn't know if anyone had heard him. As far as he knew, his friends had no clue they were out here in the middle of this about to ditch into the ocean in the middle of a storm. If rescue wasn't on the way, their chances of survival were slim indeed.

He glanced at the fuel gauge. It was dangerously close to empty.

He looked outside, then glanced back at the others. He was as reluctant as Aeris to leave the safety of the helicopter, but he knew he couldn't delay much longer. If they ran out of fuel he would lose control, and their chances of exiting the aircraft safely would decrease dramatically.

Not that leaving safely was all that easy even now. He slowed down, bringing the bird to a hover, as best he could in the wind. He could barely see the surface of the ocean below him in the darkness. The waves were rolling by below, their peaks coming dangerously close to the aircraft as he got down as low as he could.

He looked behind him again.

"Tifa, you and the Cetra Sage, get ready to go."

Tifa unbuckled herself and got to her feet, having as much trouble standing erect as Aeris had had. She made her way over to the door on the side of the craft and pulled it open. Immediately she was pelted by rain and the sound of the wind howled through the helicopter.

She looked down, shading her eyes to prevent the rain from blowing in them. She could barely see the water below her.

"Can you get any lower?" she yelled. It was the only way to be heard above the storm.

"This is the best I can do," Reeve replied. He didn't dare get any lower for fear of being swamped by a large wave. He was still a good ten feet above the wavetops, maybe twenty. The waves themselves looked huge, some of them maybe another fifteen, twenty feet high. If Tifa jumped in a trough, she could fall almost forty feet before hitting the water, high enough to cause serious damage, maybe even kill her.

"Try to time your jump so you land when the top of the wave is right below us," he shouted.

Tifa looked down at the raging sea below her. The water looked like a cauldron at full boil. She didn't want to jump at all. It seemed like madness to leave the safety of the helicopter for that.

"I'll try," she said hesitantly.

The Cetra Sage stood right beside her. She reached out and took his hand. He didn't have a life jacket, and she didn't think he'd be able to stay afloat very long without one. They had to stay together.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

He nodded.

Tifa looked down again, staring below them, trying to time the waves as they rushed by underneath. A few times she almost went, but each time she hesitated until it was too late.

"Tifa, we don't have all day!" she heard Reeve shout.

She nodded, though he wasn't looking at her. She looked down again, her jaw set. No more hesitation this time. They didn't have time for that. She waited until a coming wave was nearly right below them, then forced her reluctant feet to step forward.

"They're gone," Aeris called out as soon as she saw Tifa and the Cetra Sage disappear out the doorway. She turned and plastered her face against her window, trying to catch some sign of her friend below, some sign they had made it to the water safely, but she could see nothing.

"Now it's your turn Aeris."

She turned to look back at Reeve.

"I'm not going without you!" she exclaimed.

"I'll be right behind you," he replied. "The helicopter has no autopilot. If I leave the controls it's going to go down. It's better if you're not on board when that happens. There's no sense in risking both our lives."

"You don't even have a life jacket," she pointed out.

"I'll manage," he replied.

"No you won't. I won't let you. I'm not leaving you!"

"Aeris, be reasonable! It doesn't make sense to risk..."

But she wasn't looking at him. Had turned away to stare out the window, and with that any words he had to say died in his throat. He had seen the look on her face before she turned away, had seen it before, and he knew that wild horses would not be able to budge Aeris from that seat unless he went with her.

A cracking voice over the radio interrupted their impasse.

Aeris turned around at that, the both of them staring at the communications device.

"Was that Cait Sith?" Aeris exclaimed.

"I don't know," Reeve replied. "I think so."

He fiddled with the dials in front of him.

"Cait! Cait, is that you? Come in!"

Mostly static, but then Aeris heard the voice again. It was definitely Cait!

"Where...the storm...Cid is...Slipstream."

Reeve continued to move the dials, trying to get a better signal, but it didn't seem to be helping any. At the same time he was talking into his microphone, explaining their situation and giving the coordinates. Occasionally Aeris heard Cait speak again, but each time, she could only make out a few words.

Suddenly red lights starting flashing on the control panel in front of them and Aeris heard a high pitched beeping sound.

"What's that? What's that mean?" she said, knowing that whatever it was, it could not be good.

"That's the low fuel alarm!" Reeve stated. "It means we're out of time!"

He reached up and with a single push unlocked his harness. Aeris had never put hers back on after she sat down. He reached out and grabbed hold of her hand.

"We have to go! Now!"

He stood up, pulling her up with him, and she did not resist. As soon as his feet left the pedals, the aircraft began to tilt forward, angling down toward the sea below them.

They scrambled for the open door. By the time they reached it the helicopter was almost vertical and they had to pull themselves up what had once been the floor but was now a wall before suddenly falling free.

Reeve looked down fearfully as they fell. Or tried to. He was disoriented from the tilting of the aircraft and wasn't really sure which way was which, although if he had thought about it, down would be the direction they were plummeting in. They hadn't looked before jumping. They hadn't been able to time the waves. He braced himself for a strong impact.

For naught, as it turned out, for they were in the air for barely a moment before they struck the water. The aircraft had lost altitude and hit the waves itself barely a moment after they had scrambled out. They only fell a few feet before finding themselves sinking into the sea.

The first thing Aeris noticed when they struck the water was that it was cold, much colder than she had expected, for some reason. She hadn't really been thinking about that. She sank for but a moment, before the life jacket pulled her back to the surface. She lifted her head, sputtering, feeling the strong taste of salt in her mouth. They had been holding hands as they fell, but the impact had separated them. She spun around, searching frantically, but Reeve was no where in sight.

For a moment she felt panic welling up inside her, but then his head broke the surface, right beside her. She reached out and latched onto him, holding on for dear life.

"Don't scare me like that!" she shouted.

Reeve nodded without replying. Lightning flared, lighting up the world around them for just a moment. He could see nothing but the mountainous waves surrounding them. There was no sign of the helicopter, no sign of safety. They were lost, adrift in a raging sea.

"Where are the others?" Aeris yelled.

Reeve shook his head. He couldn't see them now, nor had he seen any sign of them when the lightning had flashed. In a sea like this it was almost impossible to think they could find them. The only thing they could do was hang on and hope to stay afloat themselves. Tifa and the Cetra Sage were on their own.

And it seemed that staying afloat wasn't going to be easy. The life jacket was meant to keep one person afloat, not two. Because of his added weight, Aeris was lower in the water than she should have been. Every time a wave washed over them she almost sank below the surface. In addition to that, the wind was blowing the water into the air all around them, skimming it off the top of the waves, to blow right into their faces. Even if they didn't sink, the wind blowing the water in their faces alone was enough to make it difficult to breathe.

Aeris coughed, trying to clear her throat. She blinked, the water dripping in her eyes. It was difficult to even keep her eyes open, much less look around. Not that there was anything she wanted to see. The waves were huge, looking like the side of a mountain coming toward them, and she was certain that each one would bury them under tons of water as it reached them, but instead it lifted them up. She felt herself rising each time, like going up a vertical wall on some insane elevator ride, until they reached the top, and for a moment they could look around and see the crests of the other waves marching toward them or away. Only for a moment that lasted, and then they were plummeting down the other side, Aeris' stomach practically in her throat.

"Do you think Cait heard us?" she shouted.

"I don't know," Reeve replied. "I hope so."

Aeris fell silent. With the water blowing around them, it was hard enough just to breath, much less talk. Besides, there was nothing to say. They were in a desperate situation, but no one needed to be told that. Cait had either heard them or not. If he had, hopefully help was on the way, though how long it would take to get here was anyone's guess. If he hadn't heard, or if there was no other aircraft available...

Then they were dead. It was as simple as that. She didn't know how long they could survive in this water, but it wouldn't be long. If they didn't drown, they would eventually succumb to the cold. Already she could feel her fingertips and toes getting numb. The water wasn't frigid, but it was no sauna either. It might take hours, but eventually the cold would kill them.

If they even survived that long. They still had this wonderful storm to contend with.

So they just tried to hang on as best they could, just last as long as possible and hope for the best. There really wasn't much else they could do. Aeris hoped that the storm would let up over time. She had no watch. Reeve had one but she didn't bother to ask the time. It seemed such a silly thing to bother with when you were struggling just to survive. She had no idea how much time went by. Hours seemed to pass and the storm continued unabated. She clung to Reeve as best she could, determined not to let go, knowing he wouldn't last five minutes without her and her life jacket to cling to.

They both grew weaker. She could feel the wind and the rain and the constant struggle to keep her head above the water taking it's toll on her. In addition the numbness she felt continued to spread. Both her arms and legs were cold as ice now, and she could barely feel them. She clung to Reeve as best she could, trying to share their body warmth, but at this point, there wasn't much body warmth to go around.

Neither of them had spoken for a long time. She looked at Reeve and saw his eyes were closed. Her grip on him tightened.

"Reeve!" she said sharply.

His eyes opened, looking at her through the rain. He blinked.

"What? What is it?"

"You closed your eyes," she said.

He managed a wane smile.

"Just resting a bit," he replied with an enthusiasm he didn't feel. The truth was he felt tired, more tired than he ever remembered being. He knew, however, that that feeling was not a good sign. His arms and legs were both numb. He knew if either of them fell asleep, it was unlikely they'd wake up again.

"Well... do it with your eyes open!" she replied.

He smiled again.

"I'll try."

They were silent for some time.

"I can't feel my hands," Aeris eventually commented.

"I can't feel my hands or my feet," Reeve responded. He let go of here with one hand, causing her to grab hold of him tighter than ever. He looked at her for a moment, then shook his hand, inspecting it. It was white, and water logged.

"Well, at least I can still move it," he said.

Aeris wasn't sure how much longer that would be the case.

"How long have we been out here?" she questioned.

Reeve shrugged. He tilted his hand and looked at his watch. He reached over with his other hand and touched one of the buttons.

"I don't know," he replied. "It's too dark to see and the little light doesn't seem to working. I think it's water resistant but not waterproof, though I don't think even waterproof was designed to protect against this." He indicated the waves around them.

They fell silent once more. He couldn't tell how long it had been but it seemed like forever. He looked up at the sky, hoping to see some light on the horizon, some sign that dawn was not far off. Not that it mattered much. The light of day wasn't going to make things any better. Sure, they might be easier to spot in the daytime, but it didn't matter how easy or hard they were to spot if no one was looking for them. He could see nothing, however, no sign of the break of day. For all he knew dawn could still be hours away.

He looked at Aeris and saw that her eyes were now closed.

Leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek.

Her eyes opened.

"What was that for?" she questioned.

"You have to rest with your eyes open too," he said.

She didn't reply.

He looked around.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

"Don't say that."

"My arms are numb. I'm afraid I'll drag you down with me."

She held onto him tighter.

"Don't let go of me," she told him.

"The odds of rescue are slim."

"Don't you dare even think about giving up. They'll find us, I know they will," she said.

Again he couldn't help but smile.

"How do you do that?" he questioned.

"Do what?"

"Have such absolute faith that everything will work out in the end."

She didn't reply to that for a moment. She really didn't have an answer.

"I don't know. I've always felt that. I always felt I had a purpose here, and my time would not end until I discovered it. I thought I had once, when I prayed to Holy, when Sephiroth killed me, but you all brought me back, so there must be more to it."

Reeve fell silent, nodding slowly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't share her faith. He was quite certain there was a very good chance they could both die here. Still, he had to admit her words brought some comfort with them.

"I'm glad you're here with me Aeris," he said. "Well, I'm not glad you're _here_, stuck in the middle of the ocean, but if I had to be here with anyone, I'm glad it's you, well, actually, I would rather you _weren't_ here if it meant you were safe but..."

She laughed, as best she could with the rain blowing in her face.

"Don't worry Reeve, I know what you mean. Thank you for saying so, and don't worry, we'll get out of this."

"I just wish..." he began.

"What's that?"

She was staring behind him. He turned his head, but all he saw was a wall of water in front of him as they plummeted down into a trough.

"I thought... I thought I saw a light," Aeris said.

"Where?" Reeve questioned.

She lifted her hand.

"Over that way," she pointed. "But you can't see anything now. Wait until another wave comes along."

They didn't have to wait long. After a moment another wave lifted them up. When they reached the peak the both stared into the darkness in the direction she had indicated. All they could see was the tops of the waves and the dark sky boiling above their heads, but then they both saw it, almost simultaneously. A flash of light, up in the sky, not too far off, like some kind of... searchlight.

"It's them!" Aeris cried out.

Reeve wasn't sure she was right, but he was sure something or someone was out there. It didn't really matter who. Even if it was the other Cetra, (though why the hell they would be here was beyond him) even if it mean being captured, he didn't care. Anything was better than staying in the water.

"The emergency kit," he said, as excited as she was. "There should be a flare gun in there!"

Aeris pulled the kit over her shoulder with some difficulty. Her fingers were so numb now she could hardly make them obey her commands. It took her what seemed like forever to get it open, and then to search around for the flare gun before finally pulling it out. Reeve held onto her impatiently, staring into the sky whenever they rose with a wave, hoping whoever it was above them didn't leave before they could fire a flare. He wanted to reach for the gun himself, but he knew his limbs were in no better shape.

Aeris lifted her hand. A moment later a yellow streak shot into the air.

They stared up into the sky, watching the flare arc upwards, then slowly turn and begin to descend. They turned and looked in the direction they had seen the light. They could see nothing for a long time. Reeve felt his heart thudding in his chest. This was it, he knew this would be their only chance. If they weren't found now, it would be all over.

The clouds seethed above their heads, alive with the raging storm and... something else. The clouds parted to a greater darkness. Suddenly a roaring filled their ears, and it was not the roaring of the wind. They looked up to see a black jet descending down upon them.

* * *

"There they are!"

"Where? Get the light on them!" Cid exclaimed.

A spotlight suddenly shifted downward, aimed at the ocean below, just in front of them. Cid could make out the bright orange of a life vest, and the small figures of two people drifting in the water below.

"I see them!" he exclaimed. "Drop down the ladder!"

Cait scrambled to obey as Cid brought the Slipstream down lower, as low as he dared. The wind was erratic, making it hell to keep the aircraft steady. He couldn't see directly below him, he couldn't tell if the ladder reached the water.

"Are we low enough?" he called back.

Cait was standing by an open hatch in the floor of the craft, looking down at the water below, and the ladder he had dropped down. It barely skimmed the top of the waves.

"The ladder just reaches the water," Cait told him.

Cid nodded. It was the best he could do. He dared go no lower for fear of one of the bigger waves swamping the aircraft. That would be a disaster.

"All right, I'm heading for them. Lead me in."

Cid could see ahead of him but not anything directly below them. He would have to depend on Cait to guide him in once they got close to the two below.

He slowly moved the craft forward. It wasn't going to be easy. The Slipstream wasn't really designed for this kind of thing, but it would have to do. It was all he had, and if he hadn't finally gotten it repaired earlier today, he wouldn't even have that.

The Slipstream moved slowly forward, until the people in the water disappeared from his view. They would only be able to grab the ladder for a moment, when they were at the crest of the wave. He didn't know what kind of condition they were in. They were obviously conscious, or they would never have been able to fire off the flare, but he knew they'd been in the water a long time. They might not have the strength to even climb up the ladder. If not, Cait would have to go down to try to help them, and that would be dangerous as well. Also, with him hovering, barely moving forward, the jet wash was pointed straight down at the people below him. At this height, it would cause all kinds of havoc. He hoped they'd be able to handle it.

"You're right on course," Cait announced.

Cid nodded, clutching his cigarette in his teeth, almost pinching it in half in concentration.

"A little to the left."

Cid moved the Slipstream in the desired direction, going as slowly as he could. Just keeping the craft level in this weather was a chore, much less on course, but he knew the slightest deviation would result in the ladder being out of reach of those below.

"Left more."

The Slipstream responded sluggishly. Fortunately it was large enough so that the wind didn't blow it around too much.

"All right. Straight ahead. Almost there!"

Cid tried to keep the Slipstream as steady as possible as it moved slowly forward. Agonizing minutes seemed to pass, so long in fact, that Cid was certain the ladder must have passed up the two people below him by now. He turned to ask Cait what was happening but at the same time Cait spoke again.

"They've got it!"

Cid looked forward again, staring at the instruments, trying to keep the ship as steady as possible.

"Are they climbing up?" he called back.

For a moment Cait didn't reply.

"Yeah," he said finally. "They're having a hard time though."

Cid felt a strong urge to leave the controls and go see what was going on, even climb down the ladder to help the others below, but of course, that was impossible. Unlike Reeve's helicopter, the Slipstream did indeed have an autopilot, but it wasn't designed for this kind of delicate work. It would never be able to hold them as steady as Cid could in this storm.

So he sat there, concentrating on the controls and keeping the plane in place, as the moments passed with excruciating slowness.

Finally he heard a thump. He looked back to see that Aeris had pulled herself up into the ship and flopped down onto her knees. Turning around she reached down, and a moment later Reeve was pulled up as well.

"Got them!" Cait announced triumphantly as he pulled up the ladder, then slammed the hatch closed to the storm.

They could still hear the sound of the jet's engines, and the storm as well, but it was muted. To both Aeris and Reeve, the quiet was heavenly.

"We have to find the others," Aeris spoke up.

She was tired, wet, and freezing to death, but in spite of that she pulled herself to her feet and walked quickly over to where Cid was sitting.

"Tifa and the Cetra Sage are still in the water," she announced.

"The who what?" Cid asked.

"The Cetra Sage," Aeris repeated. "I'll explain it all later. We have to find them."

Cid nodded slowly.

"I take it they don't have a flare gun?"

"No, they don't," Aeris confirmed.

Cid chewed on his cigarette. In that case, it wasn't going to be easy. He looked out the window into the blackness beyond. They would have to be right on top of someone in this to see them.

"They left the helicopter just a minute or two before us," Reeve spoke up. "Hopefully they shouldn't be far away."

"Let's hope not," Cid muttered. "All right, I'll start a search pattern. Everyone, keep your eyes open."

Reeve pulled himself to his feet, and they all took up positions around the craft so they could look out in all directions.

Aeris stared down at the sea below. Cait had found blankets and wrapped them around both her and Reeve, which took the chill out just a bit. She was still cold, but her own discomfort had to take a back seat to finding Tifa and the Cetra Sage. She was worried sick about her friend. She felt that she was here for a reason, that she wouldn't die before she accomplished what she had to do. She felt no such convictions about Tifa. They had been in the water longer. For all she knew, both her friend and the Cetra Sage could already be dead.

She found herself praying silently under her breath.

"I see something!" Reeve called out.

Aeris heart leapt.

"Where?" she questioned. He was on the other side of the plane from her. She was beside him in an instant.

"Over there, to the left," Reeve exclaimed, pointing. "Damn, its gone. Cid, bring her over that way!"

"What did you see?" Aeris questioned.

"I'm not sure," Reeve replied. "It looked like something in the water but I couldn't be sure. I only saw it for a moment."

They both stared out the window as Cid brought the craft in the desired direction. Aeris could feel her heart beating in her chest. It had to be them. It just had to!

Cait swept the seachlight over the water ahead of them.

"There!" Reeve shouted, but it wasn't needed, they could all see the people in the water below, they could all see the orange color of the life jacket, the heads or two people bobbing in the waves, the hand rise feebly into the air as Tifa tried to wave to them.

"Quick, get the ladder down!" Aeris exclaimed.

Reeve was already moving, getting up and pulling open the hatch. He tossed down the ladder as Aeris came up beside him, while Cait kept the spotlight trained on the two below them.

Once more Cid headed toward his target, this time with Aeris guiding him. Again it seemed to take a ridiculously long time for the ladder to reach those below. Finally it did, however, and Aeris saw the two people below latch onto it. As the Cetra Sage began to pull himself up, however, Tifa's hands slipped off and she fell back into the water, the ladder quickly blowing out of her reach.

"Tifa couldn't hold on!" Aeris shouted. "You have to go back!"

Cid let the craft go forward a bit, then rotated the plane until it was facing back the way it came. By the time this procedure was completed, the Cetra Sage was safely on board. He collapsed to the ground as Reeve and Aeris pulled him up. He was ice cold to the touch.

"Tifa must be freezing down there," Aeris stated. "I hope she can hold on."

"If not I'll go down and get her," Reeve said.

The plane made its way toward the girl in the water one more time. Aeris watched the ladder more toward Tifa. For a second Aeris though it was going to pass by out of Tifa's reach, but she struggled toward it and managed to grab hold, and this time she didn't let go.

"She got it!" Aeris yelled out triumphantly.

Tifa pulled herself up the ladder with agonizing slowness but eventually she was close enough for Reeve to reach down and pull her up. As everyone had done, she collapsed to the floor of the craft as soon as he was pulled aboard, her breath coming in short gasps and shivering uncontrollably.

"C..c...cold," she managed to get out.

Aeris wrapped a blanket around her while Reeve closed the hatch. He then walked over to the pilot and slapped him on the back, while Aeris helped Tifa up and into one of the seats. She then plopped down in one herself, for the first time allowing herself to feel some relief. They had done it, they were all safe. It was more than they could have hoped for.

She looked over at Tifa.The girl was wrapped in her blanket, still shivering. Aeris could see her face, even though she was looking out the window. There was no relief there. Her face was pale, her eyes lined with concern as she looked down at the vast expanse of water below them. As fast as it had come, Aeris felt her relief fading away. It wasn't true, they weren't all safe. There was still one of them left out there somewhere.

Aeris saw Tifa's lips move. She couldn't hear what the girl said, but it was easy enough to read her lips. A single word.

Cloud.


	21. Chaos Final Round

CHAPTER XXI

CHAOS FINAL ROUND

The sun was setting over the plains to the west of Rocket Town. The sky to the west had turned a deep shade of purple, the red disk of the sun, just sinking below the horizon, backlighting the clouds that hung in the air there. It was a magnificent sunset, the type of which was only seen a few times a year.

Yuffie turned away from the window, looking instead at the hospital bed that lay before her, and the man lying on it. She sat on a small stool beside the window, had been sitting there for what seemed like hours, and it fact it was.

The beauty outside held little interest to her. She hardly noticed it, in fact. Her mind was on something else. She still couldn't believe Reno had done that, had thrown himself on top of her to protect her from the Chaos beast. It was a crazy, insane, totally stupid thing for him to do and she had been praying since it happened, praying that he would open his eyes, that she would see that Reno smirk on his face once more, just so she could tell him that!

There was no smirk, however. His eyes were closed. A monitor on the wall above him registered his heart rate and pulse. That and the slow rise and fall of his chest were the only indications that he was still alive.

The doctors had told her he was in serious condition. They had stopped all the bleeding but he had lost a lot of blood. They wouldn't be able to tell how well he was going to recover until he woke up.

If he woke up.

No one had ever done anything like that for her before.

She was a pest. A nuisance. She knew that's what most of her friends thought of her. No one took her seriously. Yes, she had grown since she had met these people, but she really didn't think their opinion of her had changed much. Maybe a little, but not much. She hadn't thought any one of them would do something like that for her, especially not Reno.

She knew he liked her, a little anyway. He always complained but it was more teasing than anything else. She wasn't stupid. She could tell the difference. Still, she hadn't expected him to risk his life for her like that...

Now... now she wasn't sure what to think.

She felt responsible. It should be her lying there in that bed. He didn't have to do something like that. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself. If the Chaos beast caught her off guard, it was she who should have to pay for it, not someone else. Even so, she was grateful, of course. Even though she wouldn't have wanted him to do it, would have stopped him if she could. That was why she chose to stay when the others had gone to get Elena. She couldn't leave him after making such a sacrifice for her.

Or at least, that's what she told herself.

She was grateful, yes, but she had to wonder if that was all there was to it. She and Reno had been friends for a long time now. She knew him pretty well. She knew he wasn't the type to make a sacrifice like that for just anyone. Perhaps Rude or Elena, but that was about it, certainly not someone from Avalanche. He must really care for her a lot to have been willing to do something like that for her.

A lot.

And what about her? They'd been kidding and annoying each other for so long now, but she had to admit that deep down inside she enjoyed it, even when he drove her crazy. It might seem like fighting but it was flirting and they both knew it. She was grateful, yes, but was that the only thing that was keeping her by his bedside? Could there be more to it than that? Could it be that her feelings for Reno ran a lot deeper than she thought?

A movement brought her out of her reverie. Ichiero came in the room and walked over to her. He had stayed as well, when she had declared she was going to. He had stayed by her side for most of the time they had been here, but she had hardly paid attention to him.

He stopped in front of her. She lifted her head to look at him.

"I go now," he announced.

She just stared at him for a moment.

"Go?" she said finally. "Go where?"

"Back to village."

Even after he said that, it still took some time for it to sink it. It seemed so out of the blue.

"Huh? Why?"

He looked at her for a moment more, then turned to look at Reno.

"I come here to win your heart, but it obvious now your heart already taken," he responded.

Yuffie felt her mouth slowly dropping open.

"Ehh," was all she seemed to be able to manage to say.

Ichiero said nothing more, just looked from her to Reno.

"I...I don't...I mean...I'm not," Yuffie stuttered.

Ichiero leaned forward, looking straight at her now.

"No need to say," he told her. "I see it in eyes."

Yuffie's mouth opened again, but then she shut it and just sat there looking at Ichiero.

"I was just... worried about him," she finally said.

Ichiero shook his head.

"The others worried too. They not stay."

"He didn't save their life!" Yuffie retorted.

Ichiero merely shrugged.

"Deny all you want. I see in your eyes. I know what in your heart. It as plain as nose on face, as they say, yes?"

Again Yuffie could not reply, just found herself nodding dumbly.

Ichiero pulled himself up.

"I go now. Goodbye."

"Umm...goodbye."

Ichiero turned and strode out the door. In spite of Yuffie telling herself to stand up, to tell him to stay, to tell him he was totally wrong, she found herself just sitting there, paralyzed, as if the motor functions of her brain were not listening to what the rest of her brain were telling them.

She looked over at Reno again, then sat there slowly shaking her head. She didn't feel that way about Reno, did she? Ichiero couldn't be right. So she stayed with Reno and the others didn't. So what? Like she said, it was her life he had saved. She owned him at least that, didn't she?

Yet, when she had pushed him off her, when she had realized just how badly he was hurt, she couldn't forget the feeling of complete panic that had come over her, the feeling that had welled up in her stomach when she thought he might be dead or dying. Would she have felt the same for anyone else there?

She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling the answer to that was no.

She stood up, stretching her stiff limbs, then walked over to the bed beside Reno. She didn't know what she felt at this point. It was just too confusing to think about. She reached down and patted his hand.

"Just get better, okay?" she said softly.

She turned and started for the door. She had been sitting here for hours. She was hungry. Since nothing seemed to be happening here, it seemed like it might be a good time to go grab something to fill her stomach with.

"I'll try."

She spun around, her eyes going wide as dinner plates, to see Reno lying in the bed, looking at her. She felt her heart suddenly thudding in her chest as she ran over to his side.

"You're all right!"

"Well, except for feeling like I got run over with a freight train, I think so, yeah," he replied.

"I was... well, kinda worried," Yuffie stated.

"So I noticed," Reno replied with a smirk.

Yuffie frowned, then stared at him suspiciously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, with you hanging around when everyone else left," Reno continued. "It just warms my heart. And it's nice to see that samaurai boy finaly took the hint and took off. If I'd have known my getting mangled by Vincent would do that, I'd have done it a long time ago."

Yuffie took a step back, her mouth open.

"You... heard all that?" she stammered.

Reno grinned.

"Every word."

"You... you conniving..."

Reno nodded.

"...sneaky... underhanded...shifty eyed...little _twerp_!"

"Why thank you," Reno replied, sounding quite pleased with himself.

"Uggh! I'm never going to believe you're unconcious again! Next time I'm going to give you a good smack in the head just to make sure!"

"Aww, is that any way to talk to the man you love?" Reno questioned.

Yuffie turned positively crimson.

"I'm _not_ in love!"

"That's not what Ichiero seemed to think."

"Ichiero is an _idiot_!"

"Yeah, well that may be true but that doesn't mean he was wrong about everything."

"If you think that, then you're an idiot too!"

"Is that any way to talk to the man who saved your life?"

"You didn't... I mean..." Yuffie stammered.

"Oh good grief, would you just shut up and come here so I can kiss you?"

He reached out, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her toward him.

"I... you... we..." Yuffie stuttered.

Reno shook his head.

"Looks like there's only one way to get you to shut up."

A moment later there wasn't anything she could say, for her lips were occupied.

It was quite some time before their lips parted. When they did Yuffie looked at Reno.

"You're a jerk," she commented, but this time, her voice seemed to lack conviction.

"You're a pest," he responded.

She lowered her gaze to the bed. She ran her hand along the sheet, suddenly seeming very intersted in the texture.

"I'm glad you're all right," she said slowly.

"Me too," he replied.

She just gave him a look.

"So... what's going on?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"With Vincent and all," he replied. "Last thing I remember is him trying to rip my guts out. I take it our attempt at giving him the drug was less than successful."

"You take it correctly," she replied. "After he attacked you the others fought him off, and then he flew away. The others went back to Junon to get Elena."

"Elena? What for?"

"They figure she's the only one who has a chance of getting close enough to him to give him the drug."

"That's awfully dangerous," Reno replied. "Especially after what he did to Lucrecia."

"We know, but there didn't seem to be many other options," Yuffie said. "The people of Rocket Town were forming a group to stop him. I'm sure they won't hesitate to kill him if he shows up again, or try to."

"Hmm," Reno grunted. He could see something like that ending in disaster. "Do they think Elena will come?"

"I don't know," Yuffie said, shrugging. "I hope so. It might be Vincent's only chance."

Reno nodded. There was no love lost between him and Vampire boy, but still, he knew how Elena felt about Vincent and for her sake, he didn't want anything to happen to the guy. Of course, he didn't want anything to happen to Elena either.

"Sounds like they could use my help," he said, pulling himself up in the bed.

Yuffie grabbed hold of him and shoved him back down.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," she stated.

"Hey, it's only a scratch," Reno replied.

"Bullshit," Yuffie retorted. "I saw the wounds. Even with cure materia you're still in pretty bad shape. You just regained conciousness. I hate to tell you this but whatever happens is going to happen without you. So you just lay back in that bed and let me take care of you."

Reno gave her a look.

"Let you take care of me? Since when did you become my nursemaid?"

"Since right now," Yuffie replied. "And if I'm your nursemaid it's your own fault."

"How do you figure?"

"You saved my life. To pay you back, I'm going to take care of you, whether you like it or not!"

"Somehow I have a feeling I'm not," Reno said.

"Yeah well, too bad for you," Yuffie told him. "And my first command..."

"Command? Since when do nursemaids issue commands?" Reno quieried.

"Since now," Yuffie said. "My first command is that you stay in that bed. And you try to get out of it I'm going to kick your ass right back in. You got that?"

He saluted.

"Yessir!"

She glared at him.

"All right. Now, would you like something to eat? I was just about to get something."

"Sure."

"All right, I'll be back in a minute. And don't you try to sneak out of here while I'm gone!"

"I wouldn't think of it."

She looked at him skeptically for a moment, then nodded. She strode over to the door.

"Hey pest!"

She stopped in the entranceway, turning to look at him.

"I'm glad you stayed," he said after a moment.

She stood there for a second, then smiled.

"I'm glad I did too," she responded. Her smile disappeared. "And don't call me pest!"

* * *

"We found him."

Elena turned and saw Red standing in the doorway. They had arrived in Rocket Town last night, and Red and Rude had been out all day in the Tiny Bronco searching for some sign of Vincent.

"He's heading west, farther up along the coast," Red continued. "Don't know if he'll keep heading in the same direction or what he's going to do. The sooner we get there the better."

Elena nodded.

"All right, I'm ready."

She followed Red out of Cid and Shera's guest room where she had been waiting into the living room where the others were gathered. Shera was in the kitchen doing dishes, Sydney playing on the floor nearby. Lai Li had been sitting on the couch, but stood when Elena entered. Rude stood by the doorway, a scoped rifle in his hands.

"What's that for?" Elena questioned, not liking the look of it at all.

Rude hefted the rifle and slung it over his shoulder, but said nothing. He didn't look at her.

"I said, what's that for?" Elena repeated.

"It's for your protection," Red eventually spoke up.

It had been decided that they were going about this the wrong way. All of them gathering to fight the Chaos beast was just provoking it. They decided that this time the others would stay nearby, but out of the way, preferably out of sight, when Elena confronted Vincent. Hopefully that would make the Chaos beast feel less threatened and, therefore, less inclined to attack. Elena wasn't so sure it would work, seeing as how Vincent had killed Lucrecia when she had been alone, but she thought she was the only one who felt that way. Apparently, however, it had occurred to the others as well.

"You're going to shoot Vincent?" Elena questioned.

"Only as a last resort," Red replied. "We don't know what he's going to do, Elena. There's no guarantee that he won't attack you. We won't be close enough to help if he does. Its the only way."

Elena just stood there. She didn't like this. She didn't like it at all. She didn't want Vincent to die, even if they were killing him to protect her. He wasn't hurting anyone right now. Why couldn't they just leave him alone, let him live in peace?

That was foolish, and she knew it. The Chaos beast wasn't going to be happy just wandering around in the wilderness. Eventually he was going to run into civilization again and someone was going to get hurt. They had to stop him. It was either they do it or let the villagers take matters into their own hands, and she knew the villagers would show less mercy than her friends.

"All right," she sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

The started out. As they did Shera poked her head in from the kitchen.

"Be careful," she said. She was looking right at Elena when she said this.

"We will," Lai Li reassured her.

The left the building, boarding the Tiny Bronco and soon found themselves in the air, winging their way west along the coast. No one spoke. Except for the rumble of the engine the cockpit was deafeningly quiet. Rude flew the plan, the others just sat there, staring out the windows, looking for a sign of the Chaos beast on the ground below them, or in at least Elena's case, lost in thought. Why did it have to come to this, she wondered, for the millionth time, it seemed. They had been at peace, they had bought a store, were settling down. All had been going well and now, now it was all shot to hell.

She wanted to blame Lucrecia, she wanted to blame Vincent, but even if she did, that wasn't going to make her feel any better. She had told Vincent not to go and she had been right, but being right was no comfort at this point. She wished with all her heart that Lucrecia had never shown up, or that Vincent hadn't gone with her but he had. She couldn't change any of that and whether it was right or wrong was now moot. What's done was done and none of them could do anything about it.

Her eyes lowered to look at the syringe that she held clasped in her hands, the syringe Lai Li had given her as they boarded the plane. She held in her hands either Vincent's redemption or his death sentence. No matter how much she wanted this not to happen, no matter how scared she was there was no turning back now. She was determined to get this over with, one way or another. She wasn't eating, hadn't gotten a decent nights sleep since this began. She wanted it to end.

"There he is."

Surprisingly, Elena felt no emotion when Red spoke these words. She didn't even turn to look, as the others did, to see the small outline of the Chaos beast making it's way west through the grassy plain.

"It looks like he's headed in the same direction he was before," Red commented.

"All right," was Rude's contribution to the conversation.

He dropped the plane lower, pulling ahead of the Chaos beast, all of them looking down again, but this time, Elena knew, not for the Chaos beast but for some suitable place ahead of him to spring an ambush.

"There's a stand of trees over that that would offer some concealment," Red stated.

Rude nodded, spotting them as well. He banked the plane, coming around in a lazy loop and bringing it down from the north so that the Chaos beast couldn't see them. The ground was relatively flat here and landing was easy. Elena could see the trees they had mentioned not far away when the plane finally came to a halt.

They departed, making their way over to the trees. It wasn't a very large stand of them, but it was enough, and offered the only concealment on the otherwise flat grassy plain. Rude deemed it acceptable and went off to find a suitable spot to emplace himself. Elena didn't look at him. She knew if the Chaos beast attacked her Rude would be her only hope, but that was tempered by what he would have to do to Vincent in order to save her.

Red led Elena past the trees, out into the open to the east. They walked until the trees were far enough behind them that he thought it safe that the Chaos beast would not be able to detect those concealed, then stopped.

He looked at Elena.

"All right, you can wait here for him."

Elena didn't answer. Ever since they had landed she had felt her nervousness increase. She looked to the east but saw no sign of Vincent yet. If he turned away they would miss him completely, but she didn't think there was any point in mentioning that.

"Good luck," Red said.

Again Elena said nothing, just nodded curtly.

Red looked at her for a moment, then turned and padded away. She watched him go, then turned toward the east again. She looked down once more at the syringe in her hand. It was filled with a clear fluid. Lai Li had told her that the Chao's beasts neck was the only place where his skin was thin enough for it to penetrate. She looked back at the trees again behind her for a moment. They seemed very far away, seemed a long way to make an accurate shot. If anyone could do it, Rude could. Or Vincent, she thought absently.

She looked around. There was nothing around her but the grassy plain. The sun shone brightly overhead. To her left she could just make out a narrow strip of white and the blue of the ocean beyond it. It was a beautiful day.

There was so much that could go wrong. The Chaos beast might be inclined to attack at first, but maybe she could get through to Vincent, maybe she could make him stop, but if he threatened her, would Rude give Vincent a chance? How would Rude know when to shoot? How would she know herself if his intentions were to kill her or not? If he calmly walked up to her and tore her head off, would Rude even have time to react? Even if she got close, she might not hit the right spot with the syringe. What if she was a little off? What if it didn't penetrate? She had a feeling the Chaos beast wouldn't take her attempt too lightly. Even if she did succeed, she didn't think the drug would work instantaneously. What if he attacked her after she succeeded? Would they have to kill Vincent anyway just to protect her? And what if the drug didn't work at all?

She shook her head slowly. There were a million things that could go wrong, but what was the point of dwelling on them? She had to press forward and hope for the best. There wasn't any other choice, now was there?

She looked to the east again and froze.

He was coming.

At first he was only a small figure moving slowly on the horizon. Soon, however, he came closer. She wasn't sure exactly when he saw her. There wasn't any moment where his movement or posture changed. He was heading right for her from the beginning, and he continued on his present course as if she wasn't there at all. Eventually, however, it was obvious that he had seen her, for it was impossible for him not to. She was standing out in the open.

She waited patiently as he approached, her hands hanging limply by her sides. She was scared, but determined not to let that affect her. She'd been scared before. She'd been in battle. She knew she could fight if she had to.

Still, this was different. If all went according to plan, there would be no fighting. The fact that she wasn't sure what was going to happen, if it would come to a fight at all, was scarier than knowing what lie ahead. Besides, all the other times she had had friends with her, people to back her up. She was out here alone, confronting someone who she knew she wouldn't last a second against if it really came to a fight. Sure, she knew Rude was back there somewhere, even now probably had Vincent in his sights, but she couldn't see him. No one was in sight except for her and Vincent. She had never felt more alone.

He was close to her now. She could see him looking at her. She stared at him, hoping to see some sign of recognition in his eyes, but there was nothing there, nothing at all. No sign of recognition, no sign of emotion. One thing about Vincent, no matter how stoic he seemed, his eyes had given him away to her, had always seemed so expressive, after she had got to know him. She couldn't see that now. She could see no sign that Vincent still resided in the body in front of her. She felt a cold chill run down her back at this realization.

"Vincent!" she called out.

What if he didn't respond? What if he just walked past her, or took off. There was nothing she could do if he didn't get close enough.

He did stop. Perhaps at the sound of her voice, perhaps not. There was no real way to tell. He looked her over for some time, not moving, as if trying to size her up, as if trying to understand what this human was doing standing out here in the middle of nowhere. She couldn't tell for sure. She couldn't read his expression. That at least was not different. Vincent's face had been just as difficult to read.

He still hadn't move. She suddenly decided it was up to her to make the first move.

She took a step toward him.

He growled.

She stopped.

"Vincent. It's me, Elena," she said slowly. She kept her hands at her sides, trying to look as if she were no threat, though why the Chaos beast would ever consider her one was beyond her. Her hand was turned away, her palm toward him so he couldn't see the syringe. She wasn't sure if he would recognize it for what it was or not.

"Please Vincent. I need..."

She stopped. What could she say? I need to come near you so I can stick a needle in your neck? Why don't we both behave like civilized adults and sit down and have a nice little chat? Please don't kill me?

"I love you."

In spite of how he looked, she had to believe Vincent was still in there somewhere. The Chadara cells hadn't taken over completely.

"I know... I know I told you not to go to Lucrecia," she continued. "I know that I said that... I might not be there when you came back. I didn't mean it though. I love you Vincent. I'll always love you. You were just trying to become human again, fully human. I understand that and I don't blame you."

She took a few more hesitant steps forward as she said this. Now they stood no more than ten feet apart. His eyes stared at her and she could feel the malice flowing out of him like an aura. Yet still he didn't move.

Her hands were trembling. She could feel them now. She was scared and she knew she couldn't hide that. She had heard that animals could smell fear, that they knew by the look in your eyes when they had the upper hand, when it was safe for them to attack.

Still, she couldn't help it. She couldn't hide her fear and in this case, she hoped it wouldn't be necessary. She wasn't here to challenge the Chaos beast. Perhaps her obvious fear would make him think she was harmless.

Or perhaps it would make him think she was an easy kill.

He covered the distance between them in a split second. Elena would have gasped at his speed, but she couldn't. She couldn't talk at all, for suddenly she found herself forced backwards, falling to the ground with his claw curled around her throat.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and her heartbeat tripled in a second. She was pinned to the ground by one hand, the Chaos beast looming over her, holding her down as if she were an insect in front of him. He had her by the neck, and she was sure he could snap it like a twig in a moment if he wished, of close his hand and crush her windpipe. Yet neither of those things were happening. She was still alive.

Her head turned, looking over toward the woods, or where she thought the woods lay. She couldn't see them lying on the ground, only the long grass that cocooned her and the massive beast standing over her. She tried to lift her head but the Chaos beasts hand prevented all but the slightest movement. She looked up at the monster standing over her, wondering if at any moment she would see blood spattering from his head as Rude took the shot. She lifted her arm, hoping Rude would see that and see that she was unhurt. There was still time. The seemed no reason for the Chaos beast to have not killed her already yet he hadn't. That gave her a glimmer of hope.

She looked up again, straight into the Chao's beasts eyes. Vincent's eyes. Yes, they were still his. No matter what the Chaos beast did, or how thoroughly he was in control, they were still Vincent's eyes. The Chaos beast could never take that away from him.

Her hands lay at her sides, unmoving, though she could still feel the needle under her right hand. The Chaos beast was holding her at arms length, and since his arms were much longer than hers, she still couldn't reach his neck. She just had to get him a little bit closer.

"Vincent," she said softly. Only that. No other word seemed to come to her. She lay there, not fighting him. That would obviously be fruitless. In spite of Rude, she knew her life was in his hands.

For the longest time nothing happened at all. The Chaos beast remained where he was, as if frozen by a stop spell, staring down at her, staring down with those eyes, those eyes that were so Vincent.

"Vincent," Elena said again, so softly that it was barely louder than the breeze sighing through the grass.

Slowly, almost imperceivably at first, his head started to lower toward her own. She lay there, hardly daring to breath, just looking into his eyes, staring at his eyes. If she blocked out everything else and just looked at those eyes, it was almost as if Vincent, the real Vincent, was there with her.

His face was close now, so close she could feel his fetid breath. A low growl escaped him, so low it almost seemed to vibrate in the ground. He bared his teeth, long razor sharp fangs, but Elena didn't see, didn't care. She remained where she was, just looking at his eyes, nothing else, and just for a second she saw a glimmer there, a faint change, a hint of something, she wasn't sure what, but perhaps, just perhaps, it was a tiny trace of recognition.

And with that her hand came up and she plunged the needle into his neck.

The roar that escaped his lips in itself was such that she was surprised she didn't die of a heart attack right then and there. His hand closed on her neck, and suddenly she couldn't breath. He pulled himself up, the syringe wrenching from her hand, dragging her along like a rag doll. She gasped for breath, trying to cry out, trying desperately to get some air in her lungs. She beat against his arm with her fists, kicked him in the stomach and torso, trying to break his grip but it was like hitting a brick wall. She did no more damage to him than a fly could do to an ordinary human. She tried to look around, but she was disoriented, didn't know which direction was up, much less where her friends were. She had done it, she had injected the drug. Was her death the price she would have to pay? Where was Rude? Would he be forced to shoot now to save her? They couldn't kill him now, now that the drug was in him.

The world was starting to get hazy around her.

Abruptly the Chaos beast jerked to the side and something wet splashed against Elena's face and suddenly she found herself falling to the ground, finally free. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath, filling her lungs once more, desperately breathing in the life giving oxygen. She looked down at herself and saw her blouse was red, and she knew right away it was blood, and just as certainly she knew it was not her own.

She looked up to see the Chaos beast staggering away from her, a trail of blood on the ground between them. Vincent was facing away from her, walking away slowly, but then he stumbled. He took a few staggering steps more, then fell to the ground.

"No!" Elena cried out.


	22. Childhood's End

CHAPTER XXII

CHILDHOOD'S END

"They've landed on the same island the mako mine is on."

Yonsin did not reply, just stood there contemplating the controls in front of him. He and Grem stood on the bridge of their airship, flying just west of the island in question. Though the storm had tossed the Slipstream around quite violently at times, this airship flew through it placidly, as if the sky outside were clear.

Grem waited patiently until he could no longer tolerate the silence.

"Well, are you going to go after them?"

The hum of the engines was the only response Grem got for quite some time. He knew Yonsin had heard him. Was the man going to ignore him totally? He was tempted to grab Yonsin by the neck and shake him before the man responded.

"No."

Grem stared at Yonsin but the man said nothing more. The airship turned gracefully in the sky, heading south now past the island.

"Where are we going?" Grem questioned.

"I'm not sure," Yonsin replied.

A look of displeasure warped Grem's face. Ever since they had realized the reactor was going critical, it seemed like Yonsin was in some kind of fog, as if the magnitide of what had just happened was too much for him to digest. His movements were mechanical, his voice a monotone. It was as if all emotion had been drained out of him. He sounded... defeated.

Grem suddenly reached out and grabbed Yonsin by the shoulder.

"What is wrong with you?" he snapped. "That half breed bitch destroyed the amplifier, ruined all our plans! She's with them now, on that island. She's right there. They all are! Their airship is no match for ours. We couldn't have a better opportunity to destroy them!"

Yonsin just stared at the instruments through this outburst. He didn't even turn to look at Grem.

"She's a Cetra," the man replied. "We don't kill Cetra."

"She's _half_ Cetra!" Grem retorted. "She's more human than Cetra. She's been contaminated by them. She's worse than a human!"

"Killing her isn't going to bring back the project," Yonsin said hollowly.

"So you're just going to let her get away with it?" Grem asked incredulously.

"Are you saying you just want to slaughter them all?" Yonsin replied, for the first time his voice showing just a little bit of emotion.

"Yes!" Grem declared. "After what they did? We were trying to save the Cetra and they've ruined it. Who knows how long it will take to rebuild the amplifier."

"We're not going to rebuild the amplifier," Yonsin said.

"What? Why not?"

Yonsin shook his head grimly.

"It took five years to build the first one, plus the reactor, and that was with the resources we already had on Round Island. Now we have nothing. Starting from scratch, it would take even longer. By the time we get it done the children will be too old, already having been brought up under human influence. The first few years of life is the most important, that's when the imprinting takes place. By the time will built a new amplifier that time will have passed. It will be too late."

"All the more reason to make her pay for what she has done!" Grem snapped. "She destroyed your dreams! Our dreams! Because of her the Cetra as we know them are doomed! The humans will corrupt all those children and without the amplifier there's nothing we can do about it. She's a traitor. She had betrayed her race, her heritage. She deserves death!"

"It is not our place to decide who lives and who dies," Yonsin replied. "Killing her is not going to change what has happened. Nothing can do that. Taking a life of a Cetra, even a half Ceta for the sake of revenge would make us just as barbaric as the humans we've been trying so hard to distance ourselves from."

"Dammit Yonsin, these are the words of a coward! If someone commits a crime they are punished for it. That's justice! As our leader it is your obligation to your people to see that justice is served. She's right there on that island. There's nothing to stop you from meting out the punishment this woman deserves and yet you just turn away. If ever a crime cried out for the penalty of death this would be it, but you're afraid to shed even a single drop of her tainted blood. Well, if you don't have the courage to do this deed, then stand aside for someone who does!"

"You shall do no such thing!" Yonsin replied, his lips a thin line. "There will be no more Cetra deaths. There will be no more breaking of our most sacrosanct rule. You have already crossed that line once and, fool that I am, I did not take a stand against you. You're right, I am a coward. I'm a coward for not going to the others and telling them the truth as soon as I found out you had killed Marlek. I was so worried about my own standing that I let you walk all over our most cherished belief. Well, no more! It's time the others found out the truth. It's time they found out exactly what kind of monster you really are!"

And with that Yonsin engaged the autopilot and stepped away from the controls.

"You can't do that," Grem hissed, his voice filled with sudden menace, though Yonsin appeared not to notice, or to ignore the threat. "We are still tied together, you and I. It was you who was in charge, who knew what I was capable of. The situation has not changed. If I go down, you still go with me."

Yonsin spun around to look at him.

"Go down? How much farther can we go? The project is over. I needed the cooperation of the others to make the amplifier work. There is no more amplifier. There is nothing more to cooperate about. It doesn't matter if they learn the truth now or not. I no longer have anything to lose."

"You're still our leader," Grem countered. "If they find out you knew all this time that I killed Marlek they will think you unfit to lead us. They will choose someone else."

"So what if they do? There's nowhere left to lead us. There is no more amplifier, no more master plan. Without that we are nothing but a small group of people slowly dying out and there's _nothing_, nothing we can do except sit back and helplessly watch it happen. Do you think I want to be the leader of _that_? Let them choose a new leader if that is what they wish. It no longer matters anymore."

Yonsin turned away once again, making his way toward the exit door. Grem just stood there. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe after all these years together, all these years of carefully cultivated friendship it would come to this. Yonsin wasn't just a coward, he was a weakling as well. He was just going to give up, just walk away from it all. leaving his lifelong friend twisting in the wind. The man had no honor or loyalty. Well, if that's the way he was going to be, then there was no point in his having any loyalty either, now was there? As far as he was concerned Yonsin was no better than that half breed bitch. He didn't care about the Cetra. Hell, he didn't even seem to care about himself anymore. He didn't deserved to be leader. He didn't deserved any better than any other Cetra who wouldn't fight for their cause.

His eyes darkening he walked quickly up behind Yonsin, reaching him just as the other man stepped in front of the door. A knife that Grem kept hidden beneath his shirt suddenly appeared in his hand, and just as Yonsin reached to open the door Grem drove the weapon into the man's back.

Yonsin cried out and staggered a few steps, stumbling against the wall, then turned as he fell to the ground, a look of shock and surprise etched on his face.

"Grem... you... what did you do? How... you stabbed me."

Grem stood there, silent, not moving, the bloody blade clutched in his hand.

"Grem... you..."

Yonsin reached out, as if in supplication, but Grem just took a step back. The man's hand remained poised in the air for a moment before finally falling to his side, and with that, Yonsin toppled to the floor and was still.

Grem paid no more heed to the lifeless body before him, instead turning quickly and walking over to the controls. He deactivated the autopilot, then swung the ship around until it was headed back to the island the Slipstream had landed on.

Yonsin was a weakling, and as such had deserved death. Now it was up to him, Grem thought, to see that justice was done.

He looked down at the controls in front of him, his finger hovering over the intercom to the fire control officer. He wasn't sure who was in charge at this time. The other Cetra rotated their duties on the ship so that everyone had some proficiency in all areas. Unfortunately, even from the bridge he couldn't fire the weapons unless the fire control officer brought them on line first.

He pushed the button.

"Bridge to fire control."

"Fire control."

A female voice. Dalliana. Great. The last person he would have wanted to be down there.

"Ready the weapons for firing," he commanded.

"Grem? Is that you? Why do you want to fire the weapons? Where's Yonsin?"

"I don't have time to discuss this!" Grem spat. "It's an emergency. Now ready the weapons!"

Perhaps if he made it sound urgent enough, she would put her thickheadedness aside for a moment and do as she was told.

No such luck.

"Where's Yonsin?" she questioned again after a slight pause.

"He's busy!" Grem snapped. "This order comes directly from him! Now do as you are told! We are about to be attacked!"

"Attacked? Attacked by whom?"

"I don't have time to stand here and explain the situation to you!" Grem shouted. He only wished she were up here on the bridge beside him so he could let his knife do the explaining for him once again. "Ready the weapons!"

Again there was a momentary pause.

"I'm _not_ going to ready the weapons unless I talk to Yonsin..."

Grem slammed his hand down on the intercom button, cutting her off.

"Damn that woman!" she snarled. He wanted to go down there and teach her a lesson she'd never forget, but first things first. The half breed had to be taken care of, then he could deal with the rest of the crew. Looking down at the body of Yonsin on the floor he knew all hell would break loose when the others found out what he had done. It didn't matter though. It was as Yonsin said, it was all over. There was nothing left to hold them together. they had no future to fight for anymore. The half breed had to die. He was doing the right thing, and he didn't give a damn what the others would think.

He couldn't use the ships weapons without the cooperation of the crew, something he was unlikely to get now. It looked like he would have to mete out justice the old fashioned way, up close and personal. Well, that was fine with him. Better, in fact. This way he would get to see the look in her eyes as the life slowly drained out of them.

He kept the airship headed directly toward the island, his eyes watchful for a place to land.

* * *

"Tifa, come inside."

It was still raining, though the worst of the storm seemed to have passed. At Tifa's insistence Cid had landed the Slipstream on the island where they had found the mako cavern, where the mysterious, or not so mysterious now, chocobo had appeared and whisked Cloud and Aeris away. Now she stood in the sand, the wing of the Slipstream protecting her from the light rain that was all that remained of the storm that had nearly killed them staring out at the ocean. To the east Aeris could make out a tinge of light on the horizon that signaled the beginning of the dawn.

Cid, Reeve and Cait were inside, Reeve already asleep. They were all exhausted. Aeris felt ready to drop where she stood. She could think of nothing she'd like to do better than flop down in one of the cushioned seats of the Slipstream and sleep for a week, unless it was to flop down on her bed at home in Ifalnia and sleep for a week, but that was not really an option, now was it? And it seemed that flopping down on a seat on the plane wasn't either, as long as Tifa stood out here.

Tifa didn't reply, just stood there as if she hadn't heard. Aeris looked out at the ocean they stood beside. White foam gurgled in the surf, the huge waves of earlier having died down to almost nothing, the oceans voice low and sonorous now as it washed up on the shore. The storm had passed, as if it had spent itself while they were caught in it's grasp, and now it's fury had passed away now that they were safe.

She could see nothing in the darkness. The churning clouds above blocked out any light of moon or star. In the east the faint light that told of the approach of the sun was still too weak to penetrate the clouds above their heads. There was no sign of Cloud, not that Aeris really expected there to be. The Slipstream was much faster than a chocobo. Even with their time spent in the water it was quite likely they could get here long before Cloud. And besides, they didn't even know if he would make landfall on this island. They had not prearranged any such thing, which, in hindsight, seemed foolish, but no one had thought of declaring a meeting point when it was all over. They had all had other things on their minds at the time. There were dozens of islands in this area where he could come ashore.

If he came ashore at all.

No, she couldn't think like that. Cloud had survived. She just knew he had.

"Come inside," she tried again. "You're exhausted. We all are. Come in and get some sleep. When you wake up, Cloud will probably be here."

Again Tifa did not reply, gave no indication that she even heard, just stood there, her brown eyes staring at the vast expanse of ocean in front of them.

"I think I might have a better view over there," she said eventually.

She nodded her head, indicating a long finger of land that jutted out into the water to their left.

"Tifa..." Aeris began but fell silent when she realized her friend was not listening and had instead started walking out from under the wing into the lightly falling rain. After a moment, Aeris followed. A slight turn of her head was Tifa's only sign of acknowledgment.

"Go back," Tifa said softly. "Go back and get some rest."

Aeris did not feel the need to respond to that statement.

They walked down the beach in silence. The rain had lightened again, and now seemed more a fine mist than actual rain. Even so it clung to Aeris' skin and left her hair damp and limp. As they walked down the beach the light grew slowly in the east.

Tifa was leading her out onto a spit of sand that jutted out into the sea, sand that had lingered long after it's brethren had been washed away. Behind them the beach ran to the forest, and the Slipstream which she could now barely make out in the early morning light. To the left a small strip of sand ran on as far as the eye could see, the dark vegetation of the forest pressing close to the water. Ahead of them a few blades of sea grass sprouted from the dunes and beyond that, only the dark blue water of the ocean.

Tifa stopped at last, more by necessity than by choice, for now her feet rested just a few inches from the surf. She stared out into the water in front of them.

"He's all right," Aeris finally spoke again. "I know he is."

Tifa smiled ruefully at that, a smile with no humor or happiness. Those words were nothing less than what she would expect from Aeris, words of reassurance. It was what Aeris did best, after all. Unfortunately it didn't make Tifa feel any better.

She wet her lips but did not speak. What was there for her to say? In spite of the fact that she had told Aeris to go back, in spite of the fact that she knew Aeris' words were just a hollow attempt to make her feel better, she was still glad her friend was here with her. Neither of them needed to say anything.

Tifa looked out over the ocean. She could see quite clearly now. The sun still hadn't risen, but it must be just below the horizon, and now the dark clouds above them had turned a pale gray.

She noticed Aeris look up suddenly, her brow pinched together.

"What is it?" Tifa questioned.

Aeris didn't answer for a moment, her head roving the expanse of air above them.

"I feel..." she said slowly, hesitantly, "... the Cetra."

"You feel them? They're here?" Tifa questioned, for the first time since she was plucked from the water her voice showing some emotion.

"Yes," Aeris replied. "Somewhere near."

They both looked around, then at one another, not sure what that meant, but both of them suspecting it was a bad thing.

"Maybe we better head back."

This time it was Tifa making that suggestion.

Aeris nodded and they immediately started back the way they had come. They hadn't gotten very far, however, when a man suddenly appeared out of the trees a little to the north of them. He started walking rapidly toward them. They both stopped and stared. Even at this distance Aeris recognized the man.

"Grem," she said softly.

"You know him?" Tifa questioned, though the answer was already obvious.

"Yes," Aeris replied. She knew him, and just as certainly, she knew his purpose. "He's here to kill me."

Tifa's eyes widened slightly at that. She studied the man approaching for a moment and realized she recognized him as well. It was the man she had chased back in Ifalnia. The man who had killed that strange person she had been talking to. He appeared to have no weapon. He was no great physical specimen either, no larger than an average man. Nothing about him appeared particularly menacing. Which was a good thing, Tifa thought, since neither she nor Aeris had any weapon themselves, or any materia at the moment, for that matter.

Still, he was a Cetra. They had never fought a Cetra before. She didn't know if they fought any differently than an ordinary human being and yet she suspected they did. Ellengio had been an old man. They had never fought him either, but almost had at one point, she thought, when they had used the supermateria to foil his plan. It hadn't come to blows then, but there had been a feel about him at that moment, an air of menace that seemed all out of proportion to his outward appearance. Somehow she suspected none of them had ever seen the real power of a Cetra.

And yet she didn't doubt what Aeris had just told her. If the man was really here to kill her, Tifa was going to stand in the way.

"Go back to the ship," she said. "Get the others."

She had a feeling it was going to take more than just her and Aeris if they had any hope at all of winning this battle.

"I think that's a very good idea," Aeris replied. "Let's go."

Tifa stood her ground.

"Go back and get the others," she repeated. She had a feeling they couldn't run from this man. The only way to warn the others was for someone to stay behind and slow him down a little.

"Tifa, I'm not going to leave you here," Aeris retorted.

"Go!" Tifa commanded. "We don't have time to argue!"

It was true. The man was much closer now, would be upon them soon.

"This is my fight!" Aeris protested. "He's here to kill me!"

"All the more reason to keep him away from you!" Tifa retorted. "He may not be as anxious to kill me. Besides, we have no weapons and no materia. I'm the one who's trained to fight with her fists!"

Aeris opened her mouth, then shut it. She looked from Tifa to Grem and back.

"Hurry!" Tifa exclaimed.

Aeris turned and ran.

Tifa watched Aeris for a moment. The Slipstream wasn't that far away. She could see it clearly now in the ever growing light. It wouldn't take Aeris long to get there. Hopefully she would only have to hold the man off for a few minutes at most.

She turned to face the man who was approaching once more. He was almost upon her now. He was looking at her but hadn't stopped, hadn't broken his stride. Without a word she stepped in front of him and assumed her battle stance.

His eyes impassive, he altered his course and turned to walk right past her.

For a moment she did nothing at all. She had expected him to stop, had expected him to at least say something to her, had expected him to attack her. She hadn't expected him to just ignore her!

Not exactly sure how to respond, yet seeing he was already past her she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Stop!" she exclaimed.

With a shrug he jerked his arm out of her grip and continued on.

Just from the way he had pulled his arm free she could tell he was strong. He obviously wasn't interested in fighting her, wasn't interested in her at all. By his attitude she could tell her didn't consider her any kind of threat. Well, maybe she could change that opinion.

She ran forward and slammed into him, attempting to knock him off his feet.

She managed to knock him off his stride, but little else. He did not fall. Instead, his elbow came around, striking her suddenly in the side of the head, causing her to cry out. He easily slipped out of her grasp and she fell to the sand. She brought her hand up to her temple, her head screaming in pain. Forcing herself to ignore it, she looked up.

The man had stopped, finally. He was standing there, just looking at her.

"I have no qualms about killing you," he said. "Don't do that again."

And then he turned and continued on his way.

In spite of the pain, Tifa pushed herself to her feet. The fact of the matter was she was pissed off now. The fact that he had brushed her off so lightly was a blow to her pride. She might not be a Cetra, she might not be some big muscle bound guy, but that didn't mean he could ignore her, that didn't mean she was helpless.

It was probably stupid to feel that way, she realized, but it didn't matter. Her feelings were irrelevant. Her purpose here was to slow the man down so Aeris could get help. She was determined to do that no matter what the consequences.

Running at the man once more she leaped into the air and, holding nothing back, using all her mako enhanced strength, launched a kick directly between the man's shoulders. As she stuck, she caught sight of a whitish aura appear around him for a second.

He grunted, then staggered forward and fell to his knees. For a moment he remained motionless, then he suddenly pulled himself up and turned to face her. She could see anger seething across his features.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said grimly.

Tifa just stood there, her hands up in front of her. She said nothing, but she couldn't ignore the unease she felt suddenly growing inside her. She had struck him as hard as she could. That attack would have broken the back of a normal human, but it had barely staggered him. The whitish light she had seen briefly around him told her he had a physical barrier. He had used a defensive materia, but when? She hadn't seen him do it. Had he cast it before they saw him? If so, how could he keep it up for so long? She wanted to get his attention and now she had it. Was she going to live to regret that?

Green light flared suddenly. Materia!

Tifa lunged to the side just as a blast of lightning cracked on the ground where she had just been standing. In spite of the fact that it was only a near miss she still found herself thrown to the ground and her nerves tingling from the electricity. She was no materia expert but that had been a very powerful spell. She glanced back and saw that the sand had been fused into a black solid mass where the strike had hit. If that hit her she was toast and she had no defensive materia with which to protect herself.

Green light, again!

She dodged to the side again, then four more times in rapid succession, as fire or ice or lightning flashed nearby. Tifa stumbled to a halt, staring at the man, waiting for the next attack, trying to figure out exactly what he was doing. How could he use different materia so rapidly?

Her dodging had put some distance between them. Since she had no long range weapon this was not a good thing. Then again, after the failure of her initial attack she wasn't sure if she could hurt him even if she was standing right next to him. She had to keep in mind that she didn't have to beat him. All she had to do was stay in the fight until her friends arrived.

Still, she couldn't dodge forever, and she had to admit there wasn't much satisfaction in just avoiding his attack. Perhaps he had a weak point, if she could find it, but that wouldn't happen unless she was close enough to strike.

She ran forward. As soon as she did the materia attacks commenced once more and she had to take evasive action once more, dodging to the sides, but always trying to move closer to him this time. She soon noted that he wasn't aiming his attacks right at her anymore but instead anticipating which direction she would dodge in and unleashing the attack there. She realized her trying to reach him made it a lot easier to guess but there was nothing she could do about that. Right, left, left, back, left... aaaaah!

She felt searing pain shoot down her thigh as fire enveloped her left leg.

Wrong choice!

She stumbled, falling to her knees, the pain throbbing through her leg. She looked up and saw Grem standing only a few paces away now. So close...

"I have to admit you've got more fight in you than I thought possible from a human," Grem said. "It might have been amusing to play with you for a bit longer, but I'm afraid I have more important things to do."

Tifa watched the green glow grow in the man's hands once more. In spite of the agony it caused her, she forced herself to get to her feet. Her left leg could barely support her. She could barely stand erect, much less dodge an attack. Something was different this time though. The materia was taking slightly longer to release, and she saw a greenish cloud of sparkling lights begin to materialize around the man. She'd seen those lights before.

Ultima. He was using Ultima.

She spun to the side, turning, and as soon as her left foot hit the ground her leg collapsed underneath her and she fell once more.

She turned, pulling herself up to a sitting position. The light surrounded the man. It would only be seconds before he released it. There was no place for her to hide, no where to run. If her leg was unhurt she might be able to lunge for him, to reach him and disrupt the spell before he could use it, but her leg had betrayed her.

"Bastard!" she screamed, and a moment later the wall of Ultima slammed into her.

Grem watched, not without some satisfaction, as the woman was flung backwards through the air like a rag doll by his Ultima attack. Her body thudded into the sand in a heap, coming to a stop half a dozen meters from where she began.

Grem turned away. That Ultima attack had almost certainly killed her, and even if it hadn't, he knew she would be no more of a hindrance to him.

"Tifa!"

Four figures were running toward him from a short distance down the beach. Four figures, but he was only concerned with the one on the left.

She was back.

No one wasted any time talking. The battle commenced without a word. Reeve got off the first shot, firing his shotgun at Grem, but the barrier their opponent had erected protected him from sustaining any damage. The Cetra Sage stayed back, out of everyone's way. Cid ran forward, spear in hand, Cait beside him, Aeris held back, both because Cid had told her to do that, and because they had loaded her down with most of the defensive materia the group possessed. There wasn't much. All their best materia had remained on Grouchoon, and the stuff was almost impossible to find since the mako reactors were gone. Yuffie had hoarded most of what they had found since, so the pickings were slim, and, Aeris was sure, no match for what Grem might have obtained from the mako reactor the Cetra had been using.

Still, there wasn't anything they could do about that. Alone any of them would have no chance in such a mismatch. She was hoping their superiority of numbers would make up for that. It would be difficult for one person to fend off all their attacks, even if his materia was superior.

Or so she hoped.

She had another concern as well. Tifa. She had recognized the Ultima attack immediately and had felt a queasiness in her stomach from the moment she had seen it. She could see her friend now, lying in the sand behind Grem like a dead thing. She wanted to run to her, but Grem was in the way, making reaching her impossible. They had to get him out of the way as quickly as they could.

It soon became obvious that that was going to be easier said than done.

Aeris immediately cast magic barrier on everyone, figuring, rightly as it turned out, that Grem's magical attacks would be the greatest threat. She followed that up with barrier and haste. She had to get everyone's defenses up before the battle began in earnest. After that she spent a moment to direct a cure spell in Tifa's direction, praying she was in range and that Tifa wasn't so far gone as to be beyond a cure spell's help. It was the best she could do. She didn't have time for anything else, didn't have time to even look to see if it had done any good, for a moment later she was fully occupied helping the others fend off Grem's attack.

And a fierce attack it was. As with his attack on Tifa, he seemed to be able to cast spells amazingly fast, coming one after the other, just seconds apart. Not only were they fast, but powerful. So powerful it almost took her breath away. In spite of the magic barriers she had erected, Grem's attacks were still getting through. He was using some kind of All materia, for each attack struck at all of them. Aeris had to try hard to not scream in pain everytime one of his spells struck her. Nor could she dodge like Cid and Cait were doing, with only moderate success, she noted. Such strenuous physical activity would break her concentration, rendering her own spells useless.

They had given Reeve most of their attack materia, but, to no one's surprise, Grem had a magical barrier around him too, and Reeve didn't seem to be doing any more damage than Cid and Cait, who were now engaged furiously with Grem, trying to cut through his physical barrier or at the very least upset his own spells. This worked to some extent, but he was so fast with his magic that even when spells were disrupted he had a new one cast almost without missing a beat, spells that were constantly forcing Cid and Cait to dodge away from him to save their own skins.

Aeris soon found herself almost exclusively casting cure spells as fast as she could, just to keep everyone in the game. Even going as fast as that she still couldn't keep up with Grem. Not only that, but by trying to keep up she was exhausting herself at a prodigious rate. If she kept this up she knew it wouldn't be long before she collapsed from exhaustion, unable to cast any more spells.

Grem was casting spells even faster than she was. If she was going at his speed, she would have collapsed a long time ago, yet looking at him, he seemed to be showing no signs of tiring. She knew she had an unusual affinity for materia and spell casting because of her Cetra heritage, but she was just half Cetra. It would be stronger with a full Cetra such as Grem. It was quite possible he could go on for hours before beginning to tire. She didn't think they were going to wear him down.

Which was a very bad sign for them, because it was looking less and less likely they could beat him outright either.

Shifting to the offensive she tried to cast silence and slow on their attacker, but those spells had no effect. It was difficult to get spells like that to work when your opponent was a stronger magic user than you were, which Grem obviously was.

She cried out as she was hit by yet another ice attack. Immediately she cast cure on herself and the pain subsided, though it did not disappear completely. It was bad enough she was losing strength by casting spells, her strength was also being drained by the physical abuse that was slowly accumulating in spite of her own protective spells.

Sensing his opponents weakening, Grem suddenly unleashed a flurry of lightning spells aimed exclusively at Cait, knowing that the mechanical beast would be particularly sensitive to them. In spite of the magical barrier around him this eventually proved too much, and with a sudden shudder sparks flew from his body, followed a moment later by black smoke and the smell of burnt circuits, and with that, Cait slowly toppled over and was still.

Obviously, not a good development, Aeris thought. Grem looked as fresh as he had when she and Tifa had first spotted him walking along the beach, and here they were, down two fighters already. It wasn't going to be any easier with just the three of them left.

Or was it three?

Out in the water she suddenly noticed something else that made her heart beat faster. He obviously must have been in view for quite some time now, for he was quite close to the shore, but their battle had monopolized her concentration. Racing toward them from the ocean was a gold chocobo with a familiar figure perched on top.

Cloud!

It was obvious he had already assessed the situation, for even as the chocobo ran up onto the beach Aeris could see Cloud unlimbering his sword.

He was coming up behind Grem. The man did not see him. Eventually, however, something gave away Cloud's presence, perhaps some sixth sense on Grem's part, perhaps the thudding of chocobo feet in the sand. Whatever the cause Grem spun around suddenly just as Cloud's blade came slashing down.

The sword struck Grem on the shoulder with a blinding flash of white light as it contacted the barrier around their opponent. For a split second the barrier held, but even a barrier cast by someone as accomplished as Grem was no match for the Ultima Weapon backed by Cloud's mako enhanced strength. The sword ripped through the barrier and tore into Grem's shoulder.

The man cried out and stumbled, falling to his knees. Even from where she was standing Aeris could see blood on the man's shoulder. He had been hurt. For the first time he had been hurt, but how seriously?

Not seriously enough to stop his attacks, it became apparent a moment later as fire flashed around Cloud. The chocobo cried out and bucked, and Cloud fell to the sand. Grem had been taken off guard and the fire spell was not his strongest, which was a good thing for Cloud since he didn't have the benefit of Aeris' protection spells, something Aeris immediately went about correcting, quickly casting magic barrier and cure on Cloud even as he sprung up from the sand again, sword in hand.

Immediately sensing that the man before him was his most formidable foe, Grem launched a blizzard of attacks aimed solely at Cloud. Seeing that even this did not stop the warrior Grem concentrated once more and Aeris saw the telltale flickering lights of an Ultima attack.

There wasn't much Aeris could do except brace herself for the onslaught. There was no way to dodge Ultima. Her magic barrier was already intact around her friends. All she could do was hope the barriers would hold.

They did. Barely.

Even though the barriers held, that didn't mean they got off unscathed. Aeris found herself sprawled on the sand, every part of her body screaming in protest of the pain she had just endured, a strange ringing sound in her ears. Shakily she pulled herself to her feet, seeing that everyone else, except their opponent, of course, had fallen as well. Her trained eye saw the magic barriers surrounding Cid and Reeve flicker and fade away. She could tell her own was gone as well. Only Cloud's, which had been cast later, still held.

But that wasn't the worst part. Her eyes fell on Grem and widened immediately when she saw the greenish light and white sparkle of yet another Ultima attack about to be launched at them.

Frantically she tried to cast he own spells again, trying to raise their magical protection once more, knowing full well she couldn't possibly succeed before Grem released.

And then... Grem stopped. She was looking right at him when suddenly a strange look came over his face. Instead of a wave of Ultima rushing toward them the white sparkles disappeared and the green light faded. Grem stood there for a moment, obviously befuddled about just what was going on.

Aeris knew right away what happened, just as Grem must have realized a moment later. Someone had cast silence on him. Aeris had tried that before and it had not worked. She just wasn't strong enough to affect such a powerful magic user. Whoever had cast it had to be much stronger than her, stronger than Grem.

Aeris looked around and saw a group or people emerging from the forest close to where she and Tifa had first seen Grem appear. There were nine of them, she realized as they approached. It was the other Cetra, though Aeris could not see Yonsin among them.

Grem made no move, just stood there motionless. Aeris saw her friends looking around curiously, obviously not sure what was going on, whether to continue their attack or not, and whether these new arrivals were friend or foe.

Aeris had no doubt. If they were foes they would never have stopped Grem. Intuitively realizing the battle was over, she suddenly rushed forward, running right past Grem, who made no move to intercept her, toward the young woman who lay crumpled on the ground behind him.

"Tifa!" she cried out, falling to her knees beside her friend.

At her cry Cloud looked up suddenly, for the first time noticing the still form of Tifa on the sand not far from him. His mouth falling open he started to run toward her, but then stopped suddenly, seeing Aeris kneeling beside her.

Aeris hands reached out, her touch telling her that Tifa was still alive, though badly injured. Aeris bowed her head, concentrating, but she was exhausted. She didn't have the strength left to evoke her healing powers. Besides that, even if she could, she could tell that Tifa's injuries were beyond her skill to heal.

She turned to look at the newly arrived Cetra.

"My friend is hurt! Can you help her?"

Immediately Dalliana hurried over.

"Let me see," she said, kneeling down as Aeris stood up to get out of the way.

The Cetra woman studied Tifa for a moment, running her hands along the wounded girls arm and side, then she bowed her head, closing her eyes. A moment later a breeze stirred her hair, the breeze rapidly growing stronger until the wind whipped all around her. Aeris stood behind her, feeling herself suddenly refreshed, benefiting from the healing power even though it was not directed at her. She marveled, and yes, felt just a little bit envious, at how much stronger this power was than her own.

The wind faded away, Dalianna's hair coming to rest once again upon her shoulders. Aeris bent forward, looking at her friend once more. A moment later Tifa's eyes fluttered open. She shook her head, then looked around blearily.

"Anyone get the license number of the truck that hit me?" she asked weakly.

Aeris knelt down again, her hand reaching out to grab hold of Tifa's.

"You're all right!" she exclaimed.

Tifa looked at Aeris and smiled. She moved her limbs experimentally.

"Well, I don't know about all right, but I think I'll live," she declared.

"You will," Dalliana said.

Aeris turned to face the Cetra woman.

"Thank you," she said. "And I'm sorry."

"For what?" Dalliana asked.

"For hitting you over the head earlier," Aeris replied.

Tifa gave Aeris a look. What was _that_ all about?

Dalliana smiled.

"It's all right," she said easily. "I prefer to look at it as you knocking some sense into me."

"Hit her over the head?" Tifa couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, well, it's kind of a long story," Aeris admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed about the whole thing.

"In that case I think it can wait until later," a voice interrupted them. The woman turned to see Cloud standing not far away.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to say hello to my wife now," Cloud continued.

"Cloud!" Tifa burst out, her head lifting at the sound of his voice. She struggled to get up, but the pain that shot through her body as she did this told her it was a very bad idea and she sank back down onto the sand.

Aeris nodded and, after giving Tifa's hand a quick squeeze, she and Dalliana walked back to the others. As soon as they had Cloud ran over to Tifa. Aeris turned to face Grem once more. The man still had not moved, nor said anything. Both Cid and Reeve still stood poised for battle, as if expecting their opponent to resume his attacks at any moment.

"So what are we going to do with him?" Cid said warily, his spear pointed straight at Grem.

Aeris turned to look at Dalliana.

"I suppose that's up to you," she said slowly.

Dalliana looked at Grem for a moment, then slowly walked up until she stood in front of him. She reached out her hand.

"Hand over your materia," she said.

To Aeris great surprise, Grem did as he was asked, his face impassive. Apparently it was obvious even to him that he had no chance fighting all of them together.

When he had been striped of all his materia Dalliana turned and pointed to the forest.

"Now go," she said.

Grem didn't move, and for a moment Aeris thought he was going to say something. He didn't, however, instead he turned toward the forest and walked past Dalliana. Not far away Cid lifted his spear and took a step forward.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

Dalliana turned to face Cid.

"He had broken out most sacrosanct rule," she said. "He has shed the blood of another Cetra. For that his punishment is permanent banishment. He will never be accepted as part of Cetra society again."

Cid stared at Dalliana as if she had two heads. He suddenly stepped forward, blocking Grem's path, his spear pointed right at the man's chest.

"Banishment?" he blurted out. "Banishment? That's your punishment? He tried to kill us all!"

"And he killed a Cetra," they heard Tifa speak up. "Back in Ifalnia."

"Marlek," Dalliana said slowly. "And he killed Yonsin."

Aeris eyes widened at this.

"As I said, he has broken our most sacred rule. All Cetra are pledged from birth not to take the life of another Cetra. There are so few of us now, every Cetra life is precious. For that he suffers from the most severe punishment we can mete out."

"And banishment is it?" Cid said incredulously. "That's the most severe punishment you have?"

"What do you suggest?" Dalliana questioned.

"I don't know," Cid retorted. "He killed two Cetra and tried to kill us. I certainly don't see any remorse on his face. A life for a life, I say, and he's already over his quota!"

Dalliana turned to stare at the pilot.

"Have you heard nothing I said?" she questioned. "With so few Cetra left, every life is precious. Our laws state that no Cetra will kill another under any circumstances. If we kill him, then we are as bad as he is!"

Cid stared at her for a minute, then his features hardened, and he lifted the spear until it was poised right below Grem's chin. The man did not flinch.

"The Cetra might have laws against killing other Cetra, but human's certainly don't!" he snapped.

"Cid..." Aeris began but Dalliana held up her hand.

"It is true, you do not," the Cetra woman said. "You seem to have no qualms about killing your own people when the mood suits you. Very well, if this is the punishment you think this man deserves, then go ahead and do it."

There was a murmur from the other Cetra at this, but none of them came forward to articulate their feelings.

Dalliana ignored them, instead staring hard at Cid. The pilot had to admit he hadn't expect her to say that. He looked at Grem, who returned his gaze as if completely unconcerned about the outcome, whatever it may be. Cid's face went grim, and his hands tightened around the Venus Gospel, preparing to thrust the weapon forward into the man's unguarded neck. Aeris wanted to cry out, to tell him to stop, but she forced herself to remain silent. He wouldn't do it. He was a better man than that. Wasn't he?

He was.

With a curse he lowered the spear and turned away.

Grem just smirked at him and started walking once again.

"Wait!"

They turned to look at Cloud, who slipped out of Tifa's embrace and stood up.

"Perhaps this man deserves death and perhaps not," he said. "I don't think that's for me to decide and apparently no one else here is willing to make that choice. Even so, do you really think it's a good idea to let him just walk away. We know he's dangerous. He's killed before. What's to prevent him from killing again?"

"What do you suggest?" Dalliana asked again.

"I think the obvious choice is to lock him up," Cloud replied. "Put him somewhere where we know he won't harm anyone ever again. It seems to me by letting him walk away, you're just giving him a license to kill again."

"Even if we wanted to, that would be quite impossible" Dalliana repleid. "Where would we put him? All our facilities were destroyed with Round Island. Even if it still existed we had no prison, we have no place to put him."

It seemed kind of hard to believe that the Cetra had no prison. It was obvious by the mere presence of Grem that they did sometimes break laws. Was banishment their only resort for a law breaker?

In any case, this was not the time to discuss the finer points of Cetra law.

"Humans do," he said.

"True enough," Dalliana replied. "Unfortunately, humans have no prison that could hold this man."

"But surely there must be _something_ you can do!" Cid interjected, still hardly believing what he was hearing. "You mean to tell me after what he did you're just going to let him walk away?"

"No, he doesn't have to walk away," the Cetra Sage spoke up for the first time. "He can take the chocobo."

They all turned to look at him.

"_What_?" Cid sputtered.

"Its a long way to civilization," the Cetra Sage continued. "He'll need some transportation."

Cid just stood there with his mouth open. This time, his friends seemed just as surprised as he was.

"Why are you helping him?" Reeve couldn't help but question, looking at the Cetra Sage.

The Cetra Sage just shook his head.

"Let him go," was all he said. Then he walked over and led the chocobo to the man. After a moment's hesitation Grem mounted, and a moment after that he spurred the bird forward, into the forest and just like that, he was gone.

Cid lowered his spear, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't believe this," he muttered. "What's to say he won't come back later to finish what he started?"

"He won't," Dalliana spoke up. "Without his materia he would be no match for you all."

"It still seems an awful risk," Cloud spoke up. "There's still some materia out there in the world. Who's to say he won't be able to find some somewhere?"

"He will trouble you no more," the Cetra Sage said simply.

Cloud gave him an odd look, but the man said no more.

Dalliana turned to look at Aeris and her friends.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Aeris questioned.

"For all that has befallen you," the Cetra woman replied. "All of you. The entire human race, in fact."

They fell silent for a moment. The amplifier was gone. With both Yonsin and Grem out of the picture, Aeris was sure the remaining Cetra would try nothing like that again, even if it were possible. Still, that didn't change what has already happened.

"What about Zangan?" Tifa spoke up eventually, articulating what all the others were thinking. "What about all the other children? Can anything be done for them?"

For a long moment Dalliana made no reply, then she slowly shook her head.

"There's no cure for the virus that infected them," she said. "They are Cetra and will always be. As will their children, and any others humans who have been infected by the virus will have. Eventually... eventually it will spread across the entire world."

"The entire world," Cid muttered. "Then... all children will eventually be born Cetra?"

"Yes," Dalliana replied. "Unless the virus is stopped it will continue to spread until your entire race is infected."

"No cure..." Tifa repeated, and Cloud could hear the pain in her voice.

Cid dropped his spear, raising his arm to wipe it across his brow.

"So that's it then? This is the end. The human race is doomed?"

No one spoke, they all just stood there, looking from the Cetra to the Cetra Sage, but no one seemed to have the answer they wanted to hear.

"Perhaps," the Cetra Sage finally said. "It depends on how you look at things."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Cid muttered, looking at the Cetra Sage darkly, still obviously annoyed at the man for offering Grem a ride.

"The human race is an offshoot of the Cetra," the Sage replied. "Thousands of years ago a portion of the Cetra turned their back on their heritage, became estranged from the rest of the Cetra. These people eventually devolved into the human race."

"Devolved?" Reeve questioned.

"It might be a blow to your pride, but that is the most logical way to look at it," the Cetra Sage replied. "They went back to a more simple time, turning their backs on all the worlds problems, isolating themselves, giving up most of what made them Cetra. But this was not the way it was supposed to be. The Cetra were not meant to live like this. Eventually, your Cetra heritage would come to the fore again. Someday, what the Cetra virus is doing would have happened spontaneously. Someday you would have bore Cetra children even without the virus. It is your destiny. If you want to say that the human race was doomed, then it was doomed from the start. I don't care to look at it that way. Instead, I say the human race is not disappearing, it's just evolving back to what it was supposed to be in the first place."

He paused for a moment, looking in turn at each of the humans in front of him.

"The human race isn't becoming extinct," he said slowly. "It's growing up."


	23. Until We Meet Again

CHAPTER XXIII

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN...

A cool breeze wafted through the open window of one of Cid and Shera's upstairs bedrooms, stirring the chiffon curtains that framed it. It was a warm day, unusually warm for this time of year. The late morning sun shone brightly outside, reflecting off the green leaves of the oak tree whose branches could be seen through said window. A family of larks had built a nest on one of the branches and the sound of a brace of young birds trilling for food could be plainly heard. A man sat on a bed facing the window. Though his red eyes seemed to be staring right at the window the truth was the sights and sounds of the outside world were lost to him. Deep in his own thoughts, the beautiful day unfolding outside went unnoticed, was, in fact, of no interest to him.

Vincent had been sitting like this for hours, ever since he had arisen. His friends had brought him here, he wasn't sure when. He suspected several days had passed. He remembered that. The first coherent thoughts he seemed to have had in days. He knew what had happened. Even when he transformed into the Chaos beast he was still aware, still knew later on what he had done. In this particular case, he wished with all his heart that he didn't.

He had spent almost thirty years locked in a coffin, his personal demons haunting his dreams, showing him just what a monster he had been. The demons hadn't vanished when he had awoken. The still plagued him, his tortured soul demanding he make amends somehow. Before this all happened, when he was a Turk, he had killed when ordered to, without remorse. He had never thought about what was happening to him, what kind of stain he was putting on his soul. He wasn't sure why these burning feelings of guilt haunted him now. Was it because of what had happened to Lucrecia? Perhaps. That might be part of it, but he could never discount that possibility that it was something Hojo had done as well. It would have fit right in with the man's demented sense of cruelty to give a conscience to a remorseless killer.

Whatever it was that drove him, there was no escape from it. No matter how much he tried, he could not hide nor suppress these feeling inside him. And so, ever since he had awoken from the coffin, he had tried to set things right.

Tried, and failed.

He had tried for so long now to make up for past mistakes, but instead, it just seemed as if his list of sins continued to increase.

He had killed Lucrecia.

No matter that it had been the Chaos beast that had done the actual killing. No matter that he hadn't had any control. All this time he had been trying to make up for what he had allowed to happen to her and what had come of it? What had he done except to make matters worse.

He was cursed. It was something he had suspected from the very beginning. Hojo had turned him into an abomination, something less than human, something that was never meant to have lived. His life was a cruel joke. Even if he had never admitted it to anyone, he had harbored a secret hope deep in his heart that somehow if he strived hard enough and long enough redemption might be possbile. He realized now that wasn't the case. No matter how hard he strived he would never find the redemption he sought. It just wasn't meant to be. The powers that be were cruel, would just lead him on, giving him reason to believe, again and again, only to dash what little hope he had just as it seemed to be within his grasp.

It seemed that everything he touched was destined to wither and die. This was his doom and there seemed no hope of altering that fate. He had felt this way on Grouchoon, when he thought he had lost Elena. He had been ready to walk away, to leave everything and everyone behind, for their own good, because eventually he would poison them, poison them all by his mere presence. He should have walked away then, but when he found out Elena was still alive he had let himself believe that maybe he had been wrong, had allowed himself to believe that maybe, just this once, there was some hope for him after all.

And what had come of it? He had walked out on Elena, walked out when she had begged him to stay. He had killed Lucrecia, the woman he had loved, loved more than he had thought he could ever love anyone, the woman he would have died to save, should have died to save. Instead she was dead now, and by his own hand. How could he possibly make up for that? How could he have even the faintest hope of redemption with her blood on his hands?

He didn't. He had no more hope. Redemption was impossible. The only thing that would come from his presence here, the only thing he could give to the people he had come to think of as his friends was pain and death. It was his destiny.

He looked down, staring down at his hands. The metal of his left hand gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window. His other hand, his human hand, lay in his lap, palm up, looking pale, almost white in the sunlight. His eyes rose, taking in the bandage wrapped around his shoulder, covering the wound Rude had given him, the wound that had stopped him from killing Elena as well.

It he stayed, he was certain it would be just a matter of time before he finished the job.

The wound ached still. He could barely move his arm. It was something he wasn't used to, this pain, this slow rehabilitation process. The Chadara cells within him gave him unprecedented healing ability.

Or had given him, rather.

They had succeeded at that, at least. The plan had succeeded. Red and Lai Li had calculated properly. The Chadara cells were gone. He was human again. Truly human.

It was funny. To become human again, he had thought he would give anything for that, pay any price. He was wrong, the price had been Lucrecia's life, and it was too steep.

Rude was too good a shot. His bullet had left Vincent wounded but had not killed him. How he wished that bullet had torn through his heart instead of his shoulder.

That was too easy for him, however. At this point, death was a release, was more than he deserved. No, death would be too easy. He wasn't done. He wasn't done suffering. If he suffered for the rest of his life, for eternity, it still wouldn't be enough.

And it would be best for everyone if he suffered alone.

Abruptly he stood up, the first movement had had made, other than his eyes and the slow rise and fall of his chest, in hours. He held back the groan the pain his shoulder tried to pry from him at the movement.

He walked slowly over to the window, looking out. The bedroom overlooked the back of Cid and Shera's house. He could see the Tiny Bronco parked below him, surrounded by the white picket fence that outlined the boundaries of the yard. He was on the second story, a few bedrooms and a bathroom that Cid had added after Sydney had been born. A week ago, it would have been a simple matter for him to leap down to the ground from here.

Now he'd probably break a leg. He had forgotten how weak a normal human body was, how little punishment it could take. It had been so long, so long since he had been human, there was so much he had forgotten. He marveled at the others, those who hadn't had the benefit of his 'enhancements'. Cloud had the benefit of Jenova cells, and was mako infused to boot. Tifa had been mako infused to but not at first, and the others, the others were just ordinary humans and yet they had been through so much, had fought against Shinra, Sephiroth and Jenova. Looking at it now, realizing just how fragile a human body was, gave him new insight into just how much courage they had.

They were good friends. He would miss them.

He stepped forward, right next to the window frame and looked down at the building below. The Tiny Bronco was parked just under the window. If he landed on the wing, he wouldn't have far to drop. It was close enough that he was certain it wouldn't do him any harm.

It was the only way. He couldn't go out the front door. He'd have to walk right past them all to do that, and they wouldn't let him get by without some kind of explanation. And what could he say? They wouldn't want him to leave, he was certain of that. He knew at least some of them would try to talk him out of it and he didn't want to deal with that. There was no point in arguing about it. It would just make things worse.

No, a clean break was best. They might not be happy with that, might hate him for leaving without even a word of goodbye, but he had never been good at goodbyes.

His hands reached down and grasped the edge of windowsill.

"Vincent."

He spun around, startled, to see Elena standing in the doorway. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn't heard the door open, wasn't even sure how long she had been standing there. Normally the slightest noise would have alerted him to her presence. With his old senses there was no way she could have opened the door without him detecting it. It was difficult to adjust to this.

He just stood there, looking at her. She didn't move, just remained by the door, her hands clasped in front of her, a pensive look on her face. The silence stretched between them. Vincent's throat felt dry. She was the last person he wanted to see. Her presence would make this ten times more difficult than it already was. Silently he cursed himself for taking so long to make up his mind. It would have been so much easier if he had gotten out the window before she walked in, and yet... and yet it felt so good to see her again...

"Elena," he said slowly.

And with the simple evocation of her name, the spell that had been paralyzing her seemed to be broken. She ran forward and threw herself into his arms.

"Vincent!" she sobbed. "I was so scared! I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're all right. I thought, I never thought... that I'd see you again. I never thought the drug would work on you. I thought you were going to be the Chaos beast forever. I can't believe it, I can't believe you're human, that you're really human. I was so sure it wouldn't work. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't think it could happen, I didn't think you could be human again. I tried to stop you. I was jealous when you went off with Lucrecia, I was afraid I was going to lose you. I know I said some stupid things and I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was terrified when Rude shot you. I though you were going to die. I thought it was all over. I was so stupid. Can you ever forgive me?"

Vincent remained silent through this torrent of words. Elena had her arms wrapped around him, her head buried in his chest. His arms just hung limply at his sides. Elena eventually stopped, looking up at him with tear stained eyes. She had been with him all night, sitting beside him, waiting for him to regain consciousness. That was the last thing she remembered. She must have fallen asleep for when she woke up she found herself in a bed in the other room. Someone must have carried her in there because she didn't remember it. She rushed back to his room, and there he was, just standing there by the window. She had never felt so happy in her entire life. She wanted to say more, she wanted to just stand there and hold him forever and ever, but... but she looked up in his eyes and she could tell something wasn't quite right. He wasn't looking at her, just staring into space. He hadn't put his arms around her. He was showing no emotion at all.

"No," he said slowly.

Elena stared at him for a moment, an icy feeling suddenly tugging at her heart. No, he wouldn't forgive her? Was that what he meant? The way he said the word, with no emotion whatsoever. It sounded so much like the Vincent she used to know, the Vincent he had been when they had first met, the cold calculating man who let nothing get near him.

"No," he said again. "It is I who should be sorry. You were right. You were right all along."

Elena still wasn't sure what to say, what he meant. The drug had made him human again, just as he had hoped. She was the one who had told him not to go, the one who thought it would not work.

"What... what do you mean?" she said slowly.

"You were right all along," he said. "I should have left well enough alone. I should have been happy with what little I had. But no, I couldn't do that. In spite of all that's happened to me, I was still foolish enough to hold onto some hope, to believe that perhaps it all could work out for me in the end, that I could live happily ever after."

Elena's arms dropped to her sides. She still didn't' understand what he was trying to say.

"But... but we can," she said. "You're human again. It worked. Chaos is gone, he'll never come back. You don't have to live your life as a half monster anymore. For the first time, there really _is_ hope."

"Is there?" he questioned. "And what price had to be paid for this? Lucrecia is dead. My list of sins just gets longer. What good is being human if the price I had to pay for that was the life of a loved one?"

Elena took a step back, staring at him.

"A loved one," she repeated slowly. "Did... did you love her that much?"

"Yes," he replied. "Once. All these years I've been trying to make up to her for what I did to her, what I let happen and now... now she's dead, by my own hand. How can I atone for something like that?"

"Atone," she said slowly. "Vincent, there is nothing to atone for! You didn't kill Lucrecia, it was the Chaos beast."

"It's the same thing!" he exclaimed. "I _was_ the Chaos beast."

"No! No you weren't! The Chaos beast may have resided in you but he was _not_ you. You were two separate entities, to different beings. You can't hold yourself responsible for what the Chaos beast did!"

"Can't I?" Vincent replied. "The Chaos beast was my curse, my punishment for my sins. Now that it's gone, do you think anything will change? Do you think that just because the beast it gone the gods will relent, will let me live in peace? I used to believe that was possible but now it is obvious that it is not so."

"Vincent, please stop it. You're talking nonsense!" Elena retorted, a hint of desperation seeping into her voice. What was he thinking? How could he be like this? She had thought it was over, finally over. The demon was gone. She had thought they could live in peace now, that they could finally find some happiness.

"If only it were," he replied. "Everything that comes near me becomes blighted. That is my curse. The Chaos beast may be gone, I may be human again, but that isn't going to change. Everything, everyone that I love... dies. If I stay, I will only end up hurting you."

Elena took a step back, looking at him with her mouth open. She had been crying tears of happiness when she came in, when she had seen he was all right. The tears continued to flow, but her euphoria had been replaced by a cold feeling welling up from her stomach.

"What...what do you mean if you stay?" she stuttered. "What are you trying to say?"

He just stood there looking at her for a moment, but that just made the feeling inside her grow. He reached out toward her but she suddenly stepped back, not letting him touch her.

"What are you saying?" she demanded.

"I'm saying..."

He stared at her but not another word came out. It was just as he had been afraid of. It would have been so much simpler if he had just slipped out the window five minutes earlier. She would have been hurt, yes, but she wouldn't have had to go through this. This was just dragging out the inevitable.

"Goodbye."

The word was spoken softly, calmly, yet it sent a shudder through Elena's body, as if she had been struck. He didn't see it. He wasn't looking at her. Instead he was moving. Out the window, before she could react, before she could say another word. He heard her cry out his name as his feet struck the wing of the Tiny Bronco, an agonized, wailing sound, the sound of a lost soul. Gritting his teeth, he ignored it, a moment later dropping to the ground.

To see Reno sitting beneath the wing of the plane, a cigarette perched between his lips. He must have come out here for a smoke and now was just sitting there looking at Vincent. He was right beneath the window. He must have heard. He must have heard everything.

Vincent frowned, giving the ex Turk a look of disapproval for overhearing their conversation, as if it was his fault.

Reno just took a long drag from the cigarette. Vincent was about to turn away when he spoke.

"You're such an ass wipe."

Vincent stared at him for a moment.

"I'm in no mood for you," he said coldly.

Reno removed the cigarette from his lips and stood up slowly. He walked over until he stood right in front of Vincent, who was giving him his patented stare, the one that usually send a cold chill down the recipients back. Reno wasn't buying it.

"Don't give me that look," he growled. "You're not dark evil ex Turk Chaos beast guy anymore, remember? You're human now, just like the rest of us. Not only are you not used to that, but you're hurt as well. That wound is going to take some time to heal. I could probably kick your ass pretty easily if I wanted to."

Vincent doubted that. Reno didn't look to be in any better shape than he was. Vincent could see the hint of a bandage wrapped around the man sticking out from his shirt. Still, he had to admit Reno had a point. He suspected his presence wasn't nearly as commanding as it used to be.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered and turned away, but as soon as he did Reno reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. Vincent spun around again.

"Don't have time?" Reno snorted. "What, you got somewhere pressing you have to be? Just can't wait to find some dark corner to crawl in so you can wallow in self pity? Are you really in that much of a rush to do that?"

Vincent just glared at him. Before he could say anything, Reno continued.

"You know, you want to go, that's fine. There's never been any love lost between the two of us. You want to walk out on the best thing that ever happened to you, I can't stop you. Okay, so to this point your life sucks. So what? Join the crowd. Yeah, I know you've gone through a hell of a lot worse than I have, I know I can't 'feel your pain'. I know you've suffered more than anyone on the entire Planet and if you want to walk away and let that rot out your gut for the rest of your life then go ahead, but don't you _dare_ whine about how it's all the fault of the powers that be, that some esoteric being has it out for you, that no matter what you do you're doomed to fail. That is such a cop out. That's the excuse of a loser who doesn't have the guts to even _try_ to make things better. It's so easy for you to blame the gods, or blame Hojo, or blame _anyone_ but yourself because then you don't even have to try, now do you? After all, what's the point of trying if can't succeed, right? Well that's just bullshit! It's the not gods fault you're so screwed up, it's not Hojo's fault either. There's only one person to blame here, and that's _you_. You've got a simple choice, stay here and try to make your life better, or walk away, walk away from everyone that loves you because of some stubborn insistence that you must 'atone' for your sins. No one gives a shit whether you 'atone' or not, because the fact is, no one blames you for what happened in your life except yourself, and that's the only person who has to learn how to forgive you, not the gods, not any of us, and certainly not Lucrecia."

Reno stopped, catching his breath, surprised at himself for blurting that all out. He couldn't help it though, when it was so obvious to him that what Vincent was doing was just stupid, surprised also that Vincent was still standing in front of him, had stood there impassively throughout his tirade without comment. He did comment now, however.

"What difference does it make to you what I do anyway?"

"It doesn't," Reno retorted. "I don't give a shit what you do. I'm just thinking of Elena. I don't understand why, but she's in love with you. Yeah, I may be a ruthless cold bastard myself sometimes but I've grown kind of fond of her, to tell you the truth, and I don't want to see her get hurt. I told her a long time ago she was crazy to fall for someone like you but she's as stubborn as you are, and she didn't listen. If you ever tell her I told you this I'll kill you but she's my friend and I want her to be happy, and that means that whether I like it or not I gotta stand out here trying to talk a moron like you out of doing something you'll regret for the rest of your life. You've made mistakes in the past, we all have, but every blunder you've ever made will pale in comparison if you walk away now."

He was done. He'd said his peace. Just the fact that Vincent hadn't already walked away gave him hope that maybe a little of what he had said had sunk in. Vincent's expression hadn't changed, he couldn't tell anything from that. Not a surprise really. Vicent was human now but he that hadn't changed him completely. The legendary Vincent stoicism remained intact.

"Are you quite done?"

And the legendary Vincent stubbornness it seemed, Reno thought with an inward sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess I am," he replied in a disgusted voice.

Vincent turned without another word and strode away. Reno just stood behind him, his arms folded across his chest, shaking his head.

"Stupid ass," he muttered.

If Vincent heard the comment, he gave no sign, just continued walking down the road. His mind had been made up, a short time ago, when he had been standing alone in his room. He was certain he was right. Certain that his path was correct. Though he tried mightily to dismiss them, he had to admit that Reno's words left him a bit less certain than he had been. He found his feet more and more reluctant to advance with each step he took, his pace slowing just a short distance down the street until he was barely making progress. He turned to look behind him but Reno was gone.

Was he deceiving himself? He had gone so long without any hope and each time he had let himself have any it had been dashed. Would this time be any different?

He didn't know. He didn't know what to think anymore. It was all so damn confusing. Why did life have to be such a damn mess?

He didn't know. He didn't know what to think, what to do. He didn't know which direction to go. Nothing was simple, not even the difference between right and wrong. He was lost, might always have been, with nothing to hold on to, nothing to cling to.

Nothing... except perhaps one person.

Elena...

* * *

Reno stepped into the house, slamming the door behind him, not in the least interested in concealing his irritation. The others were gathered in the living room, most of them standing around Elena, who was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, crying her eyes out. Shera stood behind the chair Elena sat on, her arm draped over the younger girls shoulders, trying to console her. Red sat on the floor at her feet, his tail twitching furiously. Rude and Lai Li sat on a nearby couch, both of them looking at Elena with concern written on their faces. Yuffie stood off to the side, her feet shifting back and forth nervously and looking as if she wished she were anywhere else but here. She turned to look at Reno as he strolled in.

"Reno, talk to Elena!" she exclaimed, running over to him. "She came downstairs just now crying like a baby and we haven't been able to get a coherent word out of her. Find out what the hell is going on!"

"Vincent Valentine," Reno snorted. "That's what's going on."

Yuffie gave him a strange look but didn't ask anymore questions, instead grabbing his arm and pulling him over to Elena, as if he had some magic words that he could say that would instantly make everything all better.

As if.

Reno eventually found himself standing in front of Elena, who did not look up at him. She was sitting in the chair, her face buried in her hands. Reno glanced up and saw the others looking at him, obviously expecting him to somehow find the words to make her feel better. He took a second to glance over at Yuffie, who was obviously the mastermind behind this brilliant plan.

Thanks a lot, he projected silently to her.

Turning back to Elena he paused, realizing he had no idea what to say to her. Well, he had to come up with something.

"I'm sorry," he said. Lame. Very lame. "I heard you two talking upstairs. I was outside having a cig. I tried to talk him out of leaving, but he's a stubborn bastard, I'll give him that. I..."

What could he say? The guys a loser? You should be glad he left? Your better off without him? There's plenty of other fish in the sea? Somehow, he had a feeling none of those statements would help the situation in the least. He really wished he had kicked the shit of out Vincent when he had a chance, but his talk earlier had just been bravado. He wasn't anymore capable of a fight right now than Vincent was. A fine mess that would have been, two invalids going at it. Might have been worth it though.

"I don't think there's anything I can say that will make you feel better," he said with a sigh. "I don't think anyone can. It stinks but this is just something you have to work through yourself."

He fell silent. There was nothing to say, so maybe it was best if he did just that, said nothing. Talking wasn't going to change anything. All he could offer was lame reassurances. He'll come back. He'll come to his senses. He wasn't sure how she would take that. He didn't believe that himself, much less expect her to.

"Elena."

They all spun around, looking at the door, which still stood open from when Reno had come in. Beside him, Reno could see Yuffie's eyes go as big as dinner plates.

Elena's head shot upright, staring at the man standing in the doorway.

"Vincent!" she cried out.

She bolted out of the seat, nearly bowling Reno over in the process and ran into Vincent's arms. This time he didn't just stand there dispassionately, this time he reached out to her as well, wrapping his arms around her, looking down at her as she sobbed into his chest. Elena was trying to say something, but she was still blubbering and all that came out was some kind of incoherent babble.

"I don't believe it," Reno muttered, which was the only thing spoken for quite some time. Eventually, however, Elena got hold of herself well enough to speak an actual sentence.

"You're back? You're... staying?"

She looked up at them man whose arms she was in. He was looking down at her, his red eyes locked on hers. He nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I'm back to stay. I'm willing to give life a chance. I want to be with you Elena. I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?"

* * *

It was almost midday when Grem reined in his chocobo and looked down at the plain below him. He had reached the continent just after dawn the day after his encounter with Aeris and her friends. He had stopped for the night to rest on one of the western islands. He had been in no rush. Now he looked ahead. To the right a long chain of large grass covered hills ran, hiding the ocean that he knew stood to the north of him from view. To the left was open plain that also faded into hills, a bit higher than those closer to him, off in the distance. Ahead the hills on the right fell away and he could see a town ahead, the roofs of the buildings outlined in the bright sunlight. Kalm. His first stop on his way to his destination.

He smiled slowly to himself. They were all such fools. The other Cetra and Aeris and her friends. Every one of them, to let him walk away like that. No, to lend him a chocobo so he could ride away no less!

Well, perhaps they weren't all fools. The one human, at least, had wanted to kill him. One out of all of them had had some sense, and yet, when given the opportunity, even he hadn't been able to do it. Pathetic! They were all pathetic fools.

They would live to regret that. The human was right, they should have killed him when the had the chance. He wouldn't give them another opportunity. The other Cetra were defeatists. It was obviously up to him to lead the new Cetra, the Cetra children into the golden age, it was up to him to lead the rise of the new Cetra.

In order to do that, however, the old Cetra had to be removed. Permanently.

And he would start with the half breed.

With the chocobo he could be in Ifalnia in a few days. The Cetra wouldn't be there. They would be off somewhere licking their wounds, lamenting the loss of any chance of recapturing their former glory. They wouldn't interfere, and the humans couldn't stop him. They were weak. Even without his materia they wouldn't give him any trouble. And once the humans protecting her were out of the way, Aeris would fall easy prey to his mind attack.

And after her, the other Cetra would be next. They would be a tougher nut to crack, he had to admit. He'd probably need materia for that, as well as the element of surprise. Still, he wasn't worried. He could pick them off one by one and even if he got caught, what would they do, banish him again? He almost had to laugh. Their law prevented them from killing a Cetra, prevented them from killing him even as he was wiping them out!

With that kind of attitude, it was a wonder the Cetra has survived at all. No, it was time for something different, time for a new world order. He didn't have the amplifier anymore. He couldn't teach all the children who now had Cetra blood flowing in their veins, but that didn't mean he could do nothing. He could gather what Cetra children to him that he could. He could take them from their humans parents, or kill the humans if they resisted. He could start with a few and when they were old enough, send them out to teach others. It might not be as efficient as the amplifier might have been, it might not be as fast, but it could still be effective, and with the old Cetra out of the way, the children would be brought up right, would have the will to do what they had to do to survive. No, not just to survive, but to take back the planet from the humans, take back the planet that was rightfully theirs!

Grem spurred the chocobo forward, his eyes fixed on the town in front of him, his mind concentrating on his plans, blocking out all else, not even aware of the sun that shone brightly down upon him, the soft breeze that brought with it the faint smell of the ocean, or the Cetra plague that had entered him through the wound Cloud had given him and even now began to course through his veins.

* * *

Tifa opened her eyes and found herself looking at the back of a seat. She lifted her head, finding she was on the Slipstream. The faint rubble of the engine could be felt through the floor. Cloud sat in the seat next to her.

"Where are we?" she said groggily.

"We just reached the mainland," Cloud told her.

She nodded slowly, then yawned and stretched her arms in the air. She brought them down again and rubbed her shoulder. She was still sore from the battle, in spite of Dalliana's healing powers. She had a feeling it would be a while yet before she was her old self.

After Grem had left they had parted ways with the Cetra. She wasn't sure where they were going to go. Aeris had spoken with them but Tifa hadn't heard what they had said. She had kind of been hoping that the other Cetra would come back to Ifalnia with them. After all, it was Aeris home and they didn't have anywhere else to go, but apparently they still uncomfortable around humans and felt, rightly or wrongly, that it might be best if they kept a low profile for a while, after what they had done with the virus and all. Tifa could understand but she no longer held it against them. Yonsin and Grem had been the ringleaders and they were dead or gone. The others had gone along, yes, and she supposed they still had to shoulder some of the responsibility, but they seemed decent enough, and she knew they would make things right if the could, and who knows, maybe somewhere along the line they would be able to come up with some kind of cure. It was possible.

Even if there was, even if they could stop the virus from spreading, she didn't think it would be able to help those already afflicted. She didn't think they'd be able to turn Zangan human again.

Even so, was it so bad that Zangan was a Cetra? If he was going to be cursed with an affliction, she could think of a lot worse that could happen to him.

The Cetra Sage had gone with the Cetra, saying he wished to study them more, and they had taken him gladly. She suspected he might know more about the Cetra than than they did themselves.

The rest of them had piled back into the Slipstream and immediately collapsed from exhaustion. That was the last Tifa remembered.

"How long have we been flying?" she asked.

"A couple of hours," Cloud replied. "Everyone else has been up for a while now, sleepyhead."

Tifa made a face but didn't reply. The battle had taken a lot out of her. She glanced out the window and spotted the chocobo ranch on the ground ahead of them. She noticed suddenly that the plane was descending.

"We're landing?" she asked.

Cloud nodded.

"Why?" She had thought they'd want to get back to their homes so they could all get some real rest.

Cloud hesitated a moment, and she saw a flicker in his eyes.

"Because I asked him to," he replied.

Tifa just looked at him but he said nothing more. Before she could question him further the plane bucked as the wheels hit the ground.

When they came to stop Cid got up and pulled open the door, glancing at those behind him.

"All right, everyone can get out and stretch your legs," he announced.

The plane emptied, the passengers scattering about the field beside the chocobo pen. Cloud strode off toward the farm, away from the others, and Tifa followed. Cloud made his way over to one of the pens, finally stopping when he reached the fence, looking at the birds within.

Tifa came up beside him, eyeing him curiously. She could tell there was something on his mind.

"Cloud?" she prodded.

Instead of answering Cloud rested his arms on the top of the fence. One of the chocobo's strode over to them, eyeing them cautiously, probably wondering if this human had any greens.

"I..." he said slowly, eventually. "I can't go back."

Tifa felt a sudden constriction in her throat.

"Cloud..." she said slowly.

Without looking at her he reached out his hand. She took hold of it.

"I have the Cetra Plague," Cloud said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm a carrier. I can't go near any Cetra. Children all over the world are being born Cetra, especially in Ifalnia. If what the Cetra say is true, then more and more will be born that way. I'm a danger, Tifa, I'm a danger to _all_ of them."

"Cloud... please," was all Tifa could manage to say. It was true what he was saying. She knew it of course, had know it all along, but she'd forced this ugly truth into the back of her mind, forced herself not to think about it, not to think what his having the Cetra Plague would do to them.

"You know it's true Tifa," he said, finally turning to look at her. He hesitated a moment, seeing the pain in her eyes, the tears that were beginning to form there. She had such beautiful eyes. He could just stand here and stare into them forever.

He quickly looked away. This was too hard. He couldn't look into her eyes. He knew if he did he wouldn't be able to do this, this thing that he had to do. It wasn't fair!

"Where will you go?" Tifa got out. She could barely talk now. The tears had started to fall, and she made no attempt to stop them. It was all going to come out now. She knew it. There was nothing else they could do. She didn't want him to leave. Oh god how she didn't want him to leave!

"I don't know," he said softly, a hitch in his voice, and she could tell he was having as hard a time saying this as she was hearing it. "The Cetra children are being born all over the world. There's no place I can go that I won't be a danger. No place with people, anyway."

Tifa squeezed his hand tighter, as if she never wanted to let it go, and in truth that was the case. She couldn't believe this. After all they had been through, after all they had done for the planet, after all of that she had always hoped that in the end they'd finally find some peace, that one day they'd be able to live happily ever after. Was that so much to ask for?

It would be bad enough for her, living... living without him, but what of him? He was right, no civilized place would be safe for him. Was he doomed to wander the planet for the rest of his life, alone? Just the thought of it was almost more than she could bear.

She reached out, grabbing him with her other hand.

"I... I'll go with you!"

Cloud swallowed, and it was obvious how strongly those words affected him. He turned toward her again, this time pulling her to him, wrapping her in his arms, holding her as tight as he could.

"You know that's not possible," he replied. "Zangan... Zangan needs you. He'll need you more than ever now, now that... I won't be there. Make sure he doesn't forget me."

"Oh Cloud!" Tifa blurted, sobbing now in his arms. For a long time after that she couldn't speak at all, couldn't get out the words she wanted to say, and so she just stood there in his arms shuddering with sobs, her head buried in his chest. He remained immoble, looking down at her soft chocolate hair, tears falling from his own eyes now as well.

"That'll never happen," she said eventually, when she had gained enough control to speak again, though it was so hard to say, so hard to get out. "He'll never forget his father. I won't let him. I'll tell him all about you, every day. I'll tell him what a hero you were, how you saved the planet, made it safe for him and everyone else."

Cloud lowered his head and buried his face in her hair, feeling its silkly softness, letting the smell of her fill his senses, letting himself revel in her, for one last time.

"I love you," he said.

She pulled him closer to her.

"I love you too. I love you so much. I don't want you to leave me! I..."

She couldn't continue. Instead she just shook her head, her body shuddering once more with sobs.

Though it was hard, Cloud knew that it was time. Though he wanted to stand there with her in his arms for the rest of his life, he knew nothing more could be gained from dragging this out further.

Gently he disentangled his arms from her own. She resisted for a moment, then relented, letting her own arms fall to her sides. For a moment he faltered, looking at her, looking at her staring at the ground. She looked so... defeated.

Steeling himself, he turned away. No matter how much he didn't want to do this, they both knew there was no choice.

He walked along the rail toward the stable, Tifa following silently behind, but stopped when she reached the door. She was still crying, her eyes red, and she didn't want to go in in the condition she was in. Cloud gave her hand another squeeze and entered the building. Tifa stood outside, feeling alone and lost. A few minutes later Cloud came out leading a green chocobo. It was the best one they had.

He looked down at Tifa and tried to smile, and failed. Together they walked back to the others, who looked at them curiously when they approached with the chocobo. Their faces grew grim when Cloud explained what he was going to do, but no one was really shocked by the news. They all knew the situation Cloud was in. Still, that didn't make it easier for any of them.

Reeve walked up to stand in front of Cloud.

"I'm sorry it had to end up this way," he said, "but it's still possible someone may be able to find a cure. It's still possible that things might turn out okay for you."

Cloud nodded. He knew Reeve was just being optimistic. He didn't think what the man was saying would ever happen, but what the hell, you never know.

"Thanks," Cloud replied. "I hope so."

They shook hands, then embraced. Cid was next, grabbing hold of Cloud and giving him a bear hug that would have impressed Barret.

"This sucks," he said bluntly. "After all that's happened, you don't deserve this kind of crap. I just wish there was something we could do..."

Cloud nodded, noticing Cid's eyes weren't exactly dry, and a little surprised at seeing the pilot so emotional. It was unlike him, but then again, this was an unusual situation, now wasn't it?

Cloud looked over at Tifa standing silently nearby. He nodded his head toward her.

"Take good care of her, willya?" he asked.

Cid looked a little surprised at that, but then he nodded.

"Of course."

Cid stepped away. Cloud looked up to see Aeris standing some distance away, just looking at him, and he could see she looked just as upset as Tifa had been.

"Aeris..." he said slowly. She couldn't come near him, she couldn't touch him. He was a danger to her as well as the other Cetra, which just made this parting even harder.

"I'm so so sorry," he heard her say.

Once more he tried to force himself to smile. He wasn't sure this time how well he succeeded.

"It's all right Aeris," he said. "There was nothing you could have done. I guess... I guess it was just meant to happen this way, for whatever reason."

Aeris nodded slowly, but still she felt terrible. She couldn't believe it had come to this. She had always had absolute faith that in the end everything would work out for them, for all of them. All this time she had been expecting some kind of miracle, someone to come forward and say, here it is, here's the cure. First the Cetra, and then the Cetra Sage. She had been sure someone would find a solution, had been sure they'd all get to live happily ever after. Yet here they were, with no Cetra or Cetra Sage to help them, with no one to come and save the day. Was this really how it was meant to end?

"I'm sorry Cloud," she said again, not even sure why. "I'll... I'll never forget you."

Cloud felt his own eyes misting up once again.

"I won't forget you either, Aeris," he said softly, and wasn't even sure if she could hear his response.

He turned away, stood there for a moment to compose himself, then lifted his head and stepped over to the chocobo, mounting it. He turned and looked at his friends.

"Goodbye."

The others nodded, but none of them replied, just looked away. Tifa came up beside him and took his hand. He looked down at her.

"Farewell... my love."

She shook her head.

"No," she said. "Not farewell. Until we meet again. I'll find you again, someday. I swear I will. When... when Zangan is older, when he can take care of himself. I'll come find you, even if I have to search every corner of the entire planet. I'll come and I'll find you, and then we can be together again, together again forever."

He looked down at her, and for the second time he felt tears stinging his own eyes.

"I'll be waiting," he told her.

And with that, without another word, he turned and rode away. Tifa stood there transfixed, watching him ride off, fading away across the plain. She saw him turn once, turn once to look back, then continue on. Long after he was gone, had disappeared over the hills she stood there, unmoving, until Aeris came up beside her and took hold of her hand.

"C'mon Tifa," Aeris said softly. "Let's go home."

THE END

* * *

_PUBLISHER'S NOTE:_ _And so ends Cetra Destiny, and by extension, Frank's series. Frank finished CD in July of 2003, and not a word has been heard from him _anywhere_ since December of that same year. From what I'm able to gather, apparently he had an, um, 'unhealthily interested fan of his work' hounding him and that drove him out of the fanfiction scene. Frank, I know the chances of you reading this are slim, but as over a thousand hits to the series in the little over two weeks since I've posted it shows, your stories are still popular. As for me, I'll soon be back to finishing my Freelancer fanfic. So, dear readers, thank you for staying with the series. Remember to vote for Ichiro for Most Annoying New Character. Seriously, he's more annoying than Jar-Jar Binks (sorry if I've offended you Binks fans... either of you). Fare thee well._


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